The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a provocative ultimatum to the Rivers State Government, vowing to “take by force” the use of state-owned facilities if further requests for access are denied.
Speaking on Friday at the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Port Harcourt, the former Governor of Rivers State expressed his fury over the purported rejection of an application by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to utilize the Yakubu Gowon Stadium for a political rally.
Addressing a jubilant crowd during the inauguration of the group’s coordinators across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state, the Minister dismissed the state’s authority to restrict access to public infrastructure.
“We applied to the Rivers State Government for the Yakubu Gowon Stadium. They refused us. But let me say, next time we will do this, if you don’t approve it, we will break it by force,” Mr Wike declared.
He further directed the state coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to submit a fresh application for upcoming ward-level inaugurations, warning that any further obstruction would meet with direct action. “Nobody can deny us the facilities of the state. If you don’t agree to give us, we will do the needful, and we take it by force. Heaven will never fall.”
The Minister urged his supporters to remain undeterred by what he described as “intimidation” from the current state administration. He pledged significant logistical support to ensure the campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda permeates every corner of the state.
Key highlights of the Minister’s pledge include:
Grassroots Expansion: Ward-by-ward and unit-by-unit inaugurations to be conducted across the state. Logistical Support: Provision of vehicles for each of the 319 wards in Rivers State to facilitate campaigning.Financial Commitment: Collaboration with various council members to secure buses for ward leaders.
“So nobody should be intimidated. We are here to support you,” the Minister told the teeming crowd, reinforcing his role as the primary catalyst for the pro-federal movement in the coastal state.
The Minister’s comments mark a significant escalation in the ongoing friction between his loyalists and the administration of his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. While the Rivers State Government has previously maintained that the Yakubu Gowon Stadium is currently a construction site and unfit for public use, Mr Wike’s rhetoric suggests he views the technical explanation as a political gambit.
As the political temperature in Rivers State continues to rise, observers remain concerned that the threat of “forceful entry” into government facilities could lead to a direct confrontation between federal-backed groups and state security apparatus.
