South-South Youths Beg Tinubu To Sack Wike

Tensions in Rivers State took a fresh turn on Friday as youths from the South-South region intensified calls for the removal of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, whom they accused of being the architect of the lingering political crisis in the state.

The youths, under the aegis of the South South Youths Initiative (SSYI), declared that lasting peace would only return to Rivers State if President Bola Tinubu relieves Wike of his ministerial position, describing his continued stay in office as a major obstacle to stability and development.

Speaking at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, the National President of SSYI, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar, said the crisis rocking Rivers State was not organic but deliberately manufactured, allegedly to distract the state from meaningful governance and economic progress.

Oscar lamented that while other states across the country are concentrating on industrialisation, job creation and economic expansion, Rivers State remains engulfed in what he described as an avoidable political turmoil.

“As youths of Rivers State and the South-South region, we are not happy with what is happening in Rivers State,” Oscar said. “When every other state is thinking about industrialization and boosting their economic situation, Rivers State is faced with an unnecessary political crisis orchestrated by the FCT Minister.”

The group urged President Tinubu to take decisive action by sacking Wike, insisting that such a move would immediately douse political tension in the state. They warned that retaining the former Rivers governor could be perceived as tacit presidential approval of the ongoing crisis.

“We are hereby calling on Mr. President to sack the Honourable Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike,” Oscar said. “We believe that if the minister is sacked, Rivers State will be at peace, except Mr. President wants to let us understand that he is the one sponsoring Nyesom Wike to go ahead and cause chaos and political turmoil in the state.”

The SSYI further alleged that political dissent was suppressed during Wike’s tenure as governor of Rivers State, claiming that no senior government official openly challenged or criticised his administration at the time.

According to the group, youth empowerment and economic inclusion under Wike’s leadership were largely absent, with little to show in terms of job creation, skills acquisition or structured empowerment programmes for young people.

“When Nyesom Wike was governor of Rivers State, nobody, not even local government chairmen or members of the House of Assembly, criticised him,” Oscar said. “They were all loyalists. Nobody truncated his processes or his infrastructural development.”

Turning to the ongoing impeachment moves against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, the youths dismissed allegations of financial misconduct against the duo, describing the exercise as a politically motivated witch-hunt allegedly instigated by Wike.

They accused the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, of acting as political instruments to destabilise the state and cripple governance.

The youths also issued a political warning to the Presidency, stating that continued support for Wike could have serious electoral consequences for President Tinubu in Rivers State during the 2027 general elections.

“We want Nyesom Wike to understand that we are not happy with him,” Oscar added. “Not just as youths of Rivers State, but as youths of the entire South-South region.”