The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said on Thursday, that those accusing him of demanding 25 per cent from Rivers government were ignorant.
Mr Wike stated this when a delegation of Rivers Caucus in the 10th National Assembly comprising three Senators and 11 members of the House of Representatives visited him in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a crisis had erupted in Rivers State, after an attempt by the state House of Assembly to remove the incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The plot by the state House of Assembly with mostly members loyal to Mr Wike was a fallout of the worsening crisis between the two men. Mr Wike, a former governor of the state, had helped to install Mr Fubara as his successor earlier in the year.
“I was a governor for eight years. I am now FCT Minister, and some will say that I am asking for 25 per cent. That is madness.
“I am not interested in the governance of Rivers; I am not interested. I am here as a governor in FCT, but I am interested in the political structure of Rivers, which we have built over the years.
“If anybody dares to bring it down, the person will face the crisis he wants in his life. Perform or don’t perform, but don’t touch our political structure.
“Anybody who puts his hand in our structure, anything you see, take it,” he warned.
Mr Wike had said this after a meeting with some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors in Abuja on Wednesday.
He also accused Mr Fubara of hobnobbing with his political adversaries in the state.
On Thursday urged members of the Rivers State caucus in the National Assembly not to disappoint the state but work as a team for the good of the people of Rivers State.
The minister said: “When you make mistakes, we will call you and tell you that you are making a mistake. Take it in good faith that we are calling your attention because we think that you are derailing.
“But when we call you don’t say we are expecting a kickback of 25 per cent from you or so and so per cent.
“All of us are one. We’ve built this political structure for a long time, since 2015, and we have emerged victorious.
“As the opposition party from 2015, I saw hell. The federal government fought me left right and centre, but with your support, we survived.
“When you work as a team, you’ll discover that it is difficult for an outsider to defeat you at home.”
Earlier, Kinsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers), Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said that the visit was to identify with the minister.
Mr Chinda, representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, added that the visit was also to thank Mr Wike for his support during the 2023 general elections.
He added that he played a key role in their emergence as law makers in the National Assembly.
He said that Mr Wike’s appointment was well deserved, condemned the political crisis in the state and declared their total support to Wike.