Press Release – 13/03/2023

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Monday, called on the Presidency, the leaders of thought across the country, and the security agencies to urgently call the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, to order to prevent him from igniting political crisis between the Northern and the Southern regions of the country.

The political activist said Governor Wike is presently playing dangerous politics that if not quickly checked could worsen already bad situation as far as the recent conduct of presidential election is concerned.

In a statement released in Abuja, Frank said Wike’s recent doublespeak in public statements on Peter Obi has shown that the Labour Party presidential candidate was not genuinely in the race to win the presidency but was used by forces known to Wike to play a spoilers game against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the North from winning the presidency.

Wike, who reportedly said Obi was his hero of the just concluded presidential election, openly worked and delivered Rivers State for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the election.

According to Frank, Peter Obi was good for a spoiling role but not for Presidency as portrayed by Wike’s statements.

The former APC spokesman accused Wike of celebrating a fraudulent and controversial presidential election victory as if the South has just defeated the North, hence the need to call him to order.

Frank said: “I am using this medium to call on the Presidency, religious leaders, all the elders and leaders of thought, and the security agencies to call Governor Wike to order before he ignites a political crisis between the North and the South, even as most Nigerians are still bitter about the outcome of the Presidential election which has been adjudged to be massively rigged.

“It’s on record that since Wike lost his presidential bid to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is more experienced than him, the bitter Rivers state governor had put on the garment of hate against the North while hiding under the toga of Southern presidency.

“If truly Wike meant what he said in public that Peter Obi is his hero of the last Presidential election, he should have campaigned and openly supported him but to the contrary, acting like a Chameleon, Wike mobilised support for Bola Tinubu of the APC.

“Governor Wike is celebrating a fraudulent and illegal victory not only against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or the PDP but against the North as if the South has defeated the North which is dangerous for our fragile democracy.”

Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, added: “Governor Wike has also confirmed the rigging of the controversial presidential election by saying that they had agreement before the election that anywhere Tinubu of APC comes first, Peter Obi of LP should come second and vis-versa.

“I, however, call on the North to hold Wike and his likes responsible who conspired to manipulate the controversial presidential election against the PDP presidential candidate,” he said.

Signed:

Comrade Timi Frank
ULMWP Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East