Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been called a drunk by Phrank Shaibu, a special assistant on publuc communication to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement released on Sunday, Shaibu said that Wike had been drinking. He also claimed that the G5 governors had been abandoned after Wike had led them to their political demise.
Phrank made the claim on Sunday in response to the widely circulated video of Wike, in which the governor claimed to have been sipping on a 40-year-old whisky as he watched PDP protesters demonstrate outside INEC offices against the results of the 2023 presidential election.
Recall this was remarked by Wike on Friday as he was speaking to supporters in Rivers State’s Emohua Local Government Area; the video has since gone viral on social media.
In response, Wike was attacked by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Media, who said that Wike’s drinking habit had negatively impacted his voice, demeanor, and ability to think clearly.
He continued by saying that the PDP demonstration took place about 11.30 am, and it is inappropriate for anyone—let alone a governor—to be drinking at that time.
“Governor Wike has confirmed what we all know. That he is a drunkard. The protest that was led by Waziri Atiku Abubakar on Monday, March 6, 2023, was against the stealing of the mandate of the Nigerian people, which in itself was a noble cause.
“For the sake of clarity, the protest occurred around 11.30am. Governor Wike says he was drinking whisky during the protest at 11.30am on a Monday. This reveals the sort of man he is – a dipsomaniac who abandons his official duties on Monday morning to binge on whisky.
“This explains the reason for his hoarse voice, which is similar to that of a motor park tout. It is obvious that Governor Wike also dances under the influence of alcohol. No wonder it is characterized by aesthetic vulgarity.
“It is a common rule that you do not drink and drive. Unfortunately, a drunkard is the one steering the wheel of governance in Rivers State. This is more disturbing because he is married to a judge. Indeed, the term, as sober as a judge, could not even rub off positively on the cantankerous governor.”
Phrank says that Wike’s struggle for himself and his stance on a southern president are both motivated by his desire to maintain his political relevance.
“Wike’s grouse with Waziri Atiku Abubakar has nothing to do with zoning. He is only wailing because he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP in a fair contest. After losing, he deceived four other governors to join his futile campaign,” he said.
“Three governors of the G5 failed woefully at their senatorial elections, including Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who, as a sitting governor, came a distant third in the Abia South senatorial election. For Governor Seyi Makinde, his ambition is hanging by a thread after his misadventure cost the PDP to lose all three senatorial elections.
“Wike has not held a single meeting with his G5 members, having dumped them since their defeat. He has been rejoicing over the outcome of the polls even though his men have all lost. This is the sort of man he is, and yet he claims not to be committing anti-party infractions.”
He recalled Wike’s admission on camera that he had rigged his state’s elections during the previous presidential race.
Because of this, he urged more people to sign a petition on Change.Org asking that he be denied a visa by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
“At this point, I would love to commend the nearly 300,000 Nigerians who have signed the petition for Wike’s visa sanction. This is a step in the right direction. This is a man who in every election he has ever been involved in has been characterized by rigging and violence so much so that under his watch, the media tagged his state, ‘Rivers of Blood’.
“This is a man who, during a leaked phone conversation with Governor Ayodele Fayose, admitted to ‘killing everyone we can kill’. This is a man who talks down on traditional rulers in his state, arrests those he doesn’t agree with, seals off the buildings of his opponents and even revokes C of O of those in his bad books. May Nigeria never see such an emperor again who uses violence to subdue his people for political gains,” Shuaibu prayed.
