Chief Edwin Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information and prominent South South leader, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to urgently arrest and prosecute Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
In a letter to the IGP, which was read on Thursday, September 5, during a press briefing at his Asokoro residence, Clark requested that Wike be charged with treason for his recent remarks.
Wike had threatened to set fire to the states of governors from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The comments in question were made by Wike during a party congress at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, August 31.
He warned PDP governors to stay away from the party’s affairs in Rivers State, saying, “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give it back to somebody. I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see, you take.”
At the briefing, Clark described Wike’s statements as a “flagrant disrespect” to President Bola Tinubu, who appointed him. He argued that Wike’s comments amounted to “unbridled” treason, potentially inciting violence in the country.
Clark pointed out that similar charges were brought against Omoyele Sowore, the Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, and #EndBadGovernance protesters, and insisted that IGP Egbetokun should take the same action against Wike and demand a retraction of his statements.
