Sydney Gbara, the Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, has sharply criticized recent comments made by former Governor Nyesom Wike. During a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state congress in Port Harcourt, Wike issued a stern warning to other PDP governors, cautioning them to stay out of the party’s affairs in Rivers State. He threatened to cause disruptions in their states if they attempted to seize control of the PDP structure from him and his allies in the region.
Gbara, speaking to *The Punch*, responded by accusing Wike of attempting to create false hope for his supporters. He suggested that Wike’s warnings were primarily aimed at pacifying his political base, which, according to him, might be growing frustrated due to a series of unfulfilled promises. Gbara pointed to specific instances where Wike had failed to follow through on commitments, leaving his supporters in a precarious situation.
One notable example cited by Gbara was Wike’s promise to extend the tenures of former local government chairmen in Rivers State by six months. Despite this assurance, the chairmen were eventually removed from office, leaving them disappointed and deprived of the benefits they had anticipated. This broken promise, according to Gbara, underscores Wike’s inability to fulfill his commitments to his loyalists.
Gbara also highlighted the case of state assembly members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wike’s advice. These lawmakers, Gbara pointed out, ultimately lost their seats, another sign of Wike’s failure to deliver on his promises.
In Gbara’s view, Wike’s recent remarks are an attempt to rally his remaining supporters by projecting a sense of control and authority over the PDP in Rivers State. However, Gbara argued that Wike’s statements are nothing more than an effort to prevent his base from feeling completely abandoned after a series of political missteps.
“We recall that he promised the former local government chairmen that their tenures would be extended by six months, yet today they are no longer in office,” Gbara remarked. “The assembly members who followed his advice to defect to the APC have lost their seats. This is simply a message of hope to make it appear as though they haven’t lost out entirely.”
Peoplesmind
