The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticized the walkout staged on Friday against the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, by a group of women allegedly loyal to the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
Wike, through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, described the incident as an embarrassment to the people of Rivers State and extended an apology to the First Lady and President Bola Tinubu on their behalf.
He stated, “Insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria in an event is a direct insult on the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as a leader in Rivers State, I apologise.”
According to the statement, the walkout was led by some dismissed Local Government Vice Chairmen during the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme, organized by the First Lady’s office, at the EUI Event Centre in GRA, Port Harcourt. The programme was designed to benefit 500 women in the state with empowerment items.
While on official engagements in China, the FCT Minister described the event as “very disturbing and embarrassing” and called on supporters of the suspended governor to stop actions that ridicule the state.
He further urged the suspended governor to exhibit sincerity by directly communicating his intentions to President Tinubu, instead of “saying something today and doing another thing tomorrow.”
Wike added, “It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace. Those who genuinely want peace work and act for it.
“These are the same people pleading for peace, but at the same time doing things that are contrary to what they are pleading for.
“How can you say you want peace and at the same time, you are sponsoring people to insult everyone, including the president and his wife?
“All those shenanigans won’t bring peace, and I am sure they know that, because they are not sincere with their up and down pleadings for peace.
“As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality that yesterday’s show of shame and we apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the characters and ideals of the people of Rivers State.”