By Folorunso Alagbede
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct a thorough investigation into the series of allegations of threats to lives against the Minister of the FCT, Bar Nysom Wike.
Secondus said this has become necessary, following a series of allegations against the Minister in the public space.
He warned that bloodshed for the sake of politics in Rivers state must stop, and called on all the relevant security agencies to do everything to respect the sanctity of life.
The former PDP National Chairman was reacting to the recent threat-to-life allegations made against Bar Nysom Wike by the National Chairman of Zenith Labour Political Party, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu and similar reports in the past on a member of the House of Representatives. Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and former Minister of Transport Dr Abiye Sekibo.
He urged security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation on the matter to nip it in the bud.
Secondus, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ike Abonyi on Friday in Abuja, warned that any action that would lead to the intimidation of persons with opposing views on issues must be discouraged in a democratic era.
Chief Nwanyanwu, it will be recalled ,had raised serious alarm on Tuesday following his press interview on the crisis in Rivers state where he chastised Bar Wike for undue interference, after which he alleged that a man he identified as Moses Emmanuel believed to be the Minister’s hatchet man confronted him at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja threatening to kill him.
The erstwhile PDP chairman in the statement said, “A good politician and a democrat should rely on his popularity, not on the use of coercion to achieve his aim.
“If the former Governor now resorts to threats to life on everyone who has an opposing view to his own, it then means he has lost the people’s legitimacy and the earlier he realizes this the better for him.”
Furthermore, he noted that the attitude of the former governor is unflattering and ugly-looking when recalled that he also recently threatened a serving Senator of the Federal Territory, Senator Ireti Kingibe for having an opposing view on the way he was running the affairs of her Senatorial area.
He therefore called on the President to rein in the Minister and put a check on his reckless and impetuous attitude before he brought huge embarrassment to his administration.
“To avoid a decisive action on these critical allegations now amidst the biting economic hardship in the country is to set fears in the society on innocent people”, he said.
Secondus however commended Chief Nwanyanwu and Hon.Ugochinyere, ‘who continue to stand for what is true and just on Rivers matter despite coming from another state”.
