Wike: No plan to extend the emergency rule in the rivers – Thage

By Victor Osula, Abuja

The minister of the territory of the federal capital, Nyesom Wike, has dissipated the speculations on a possible extension of the six -month emergency rule declared in the state of sparrows, ensuring that President Bola Tinubu does not have such intention.

Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike described the rumors as without foundation and reaffirmed the commitment of the federal government to restore democratic governance in the rich state of oil.

“From my understanding, the president does not want to extend the emergency rule in the state of sparrows,” he said.

President Tinubu had declared the emergency on March 18, 2025, between the growing political tensions and a distribution of the law and the order in the State.

Wike also stated that the director of the State of Rivers, the deputy Admiral (RTD) IBOK-ETE IBAS, holds the constitutional authority of conducting elections of the local government, underlining the need to return the democratic leadership at the basis.

On the internal switch within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike said that he and the other interested parties of the party resisted the pressure to install the former president of the Senate, David Mark, as national president of the PDP.

“Let me tell you something: when we started having problems on the national presidency in the center of the north, there was a pressure for David Mark to be president of the PDP. We refused,” he said.

Pressing why Mark opposed, despite his political pedigree, Wike replied: “Why not? What will he lead to the party?”

Mark recently emerged as the provisional national president of the new opposition coalition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC). But Wike has questioned his record in the public service.

“He said,” He was president of the Senate for eight years. What improvement has brought? Keeping a position is not enough. What did he do? “

Wike has declared support for younger reform politicians rather than career politicians with little to show for their time in office.

“I would prefer to support someone who has not had any position but has a clear vision for change. I will not support the people who have had the opportunity to make a difference and did not do it,” he said.

By addressing the persistent crisis of the PDP, Wike insisted that reconciliation would have been elusive until the party recognizes the result of the south-south zonal congress held in Calabar.

Thage recalls that a faction of the PDP in the South-South area has Rieletto Dan Orbih, a Wike loyalist, as president in February 2025-a move rejected by the national president of the PDP acting, Umar Damagum.

“The Calabar congress must be supported. There are no two ways to do it,” Wike insisted.

He accused Damagum of undermining the process by notifying the independent national electoral commission (INC) days after the congress had already taken place.

He said: “Our congress was held on Saturday. Then, three days later, the national president at Interim writes to the insec saying that the congress was postponed. What kind of joke is that?”

He warned that any attempt to climb over the result of the Calabar congress would immerse the party in deeper times.

Wike also rejected the relationships that suggest having planned to download the PDP.

“I will not leave the PDP – the party for which I worked hard – at the buccanieri and vampires. If I had gone, they would have been back to collect tickets,” he said.

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