Statue of Wike Removed in Rivers LGA

A statue of Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been pulled down from Obi Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Angry youths pulled down the statue during a protest over tenure of local government chairmen.

The crisis between the camps of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike has shifted to the local government area.

Fubara and Wike fell out barely three months after the latter succeeded the former as Rivers governor.

The duo have been involved in heated exchanges but the situation has been calm for a while.

However, the tenure of Local Government chairmen reignited the dispute.

While the governor directed the chairmen who have the backing of Wike to vacate office over the expiration of their tenure, they have refused on the grounds that the pro-Wike faction of Rivers House of Assembly has extended their tenure by six months over failure of Fubara government to conduct Local Government election.

In a statewide broadcast on Tuesday, Fubara directed all the 23 LGA chairmen to hand over to Head of Administration in their respective councils.

After the directive, youths in large numbers trooped to LGA secretariats across the state.

In Obi Akpor where Wike served as Chairman for two terms, some youths destroyed a statue that was erected in his honour.

One of them was heard shouting, “No more Wike”, while others joined hands to scatter the object.

One of them removed the hat fell off during the destruction and slammed it on the floor.

The incident happened just when protests are holding simultaneously across Rivers.