Wike Speaks On Alleged Rift With Gov. Okpebholo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports of a strained relationship between him and Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State.
Wike said their relationship remained cordial and that they would continue to work together.
He spoke on Saturday during the funeral Mass of late politician Dan Osi Orbih in Ogbona, Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
“There is no problem between me and the governor; we are very close; we work together and we will continue to work together,” Wike said.
The minister described suggestions of a disagreement between them as misplaced.
He also thanked Okpebholo for receiving Orbih’s remains and paying his respects to the deceased at his residence in Benin City.
Wike said seeing the casket made him confront the reality of losing a close friend. He added that the bereaved family needed prayers and strength to cope with the loss.
Okpebholo, who also spoke at the funeral, urged Nigerians, particularly public office holders, to embrace selfless leadership and use their positions to improve society.
The governor said Orbih’s death had reminded him of the uncertainty of life and the need to make meaningful contributions while alive.
He noted that wealth, political positions and personal achievements could not change the reality of death.
Okpebholo also thanked Wike for supporting Orbih’s family during the difficult period.
In his homily, the Catholic Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Dunia, urged Nigerians to reflect on the inevitability of death, regardless of their titles, qualifications, social status or achievements.
The funeral attracted political associates and dignitaries who gathered to honour Orbih, a former South-South National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Meanwhile, Wike’s political alliance, the Rainbow Coalition, has secured another endorsement in Rivers State following the decision of the Action Alliance to support the group.
The party’s Rivers State Chairman, Dumbari Nwigbarato, announced the endorsement in Port Harcourt on behalf of himself and the State Executive Committee.
Nwigbarato said the decision was driven by the need to promote peace, unity and development in the state.
He also pledged the party’s support for the coalition and its candidates across the state’s 23 local government areas and wards.
“We urge all our supporters, political associates and the good people of Rivers State to align with the Rainbow Coalition for the betterment of this state,” he said.
The Action Alliance chairman also called on candidates who emerge victorious in the political contest to support their opponents and promote cooperation.
“We urge whoever emerges victorious to support and carry other candidates along in the spirit of truth, unity, love and progress of Rivers State,” Nwigbarato said.
Addressing concerns that the coalition was driven by Wike’s personal political ambitions and a quest for national power in Rivers State, Nwigbarato said the endorsement was not based solely on the minister’s influence.
He explained that the party was supporting the alliance partly because it had its own political structure in the state and a candidate within the coalition.
“We are not only throwing our support to the Rainbow Coalition just because of one person. We are supporting the Rainbow Coalition agenda because we also have our candidate in the Rainbow Coalition,” he said.
Nwigbarato described the coalition as a platform for promoting peace and unity in Rivers State.
“The Rainbow Coalition is only a harbinger of peace and unity of our own dear state, which is precious to all of us,” he added.
Politics Nigeria reports that the Action Alliance’s endorsement comes less than a week after the Rivers State chapter of the Labour Party declared its support for the coalition on October 7.
