EMMANUEL NLEWEDUM, Port Harcourt
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has vowed to forcefully make use of public facilities in Rivers State for his activities and those of his allies, including political rallies with or without approval from the state government.
Wike’s outburst followed the alleged refusal of the Rivers State Government to grant access to the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, for the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors executives in the state on Friday.
The FCT Minister, while addressing crowd of supporters at the alternative venue of the event; Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Rumuola, Port Harcourt, issued a stern warning to the State Government for allegedly denying them access to use the stadium, describing the alleged rejection as “unacceptable and provocative”.
Wike alleged that an earlier application to use the stadium for the event was rejected, and he warned that any attempt by the state government to deny him and his allies access to public facilities in the future, would not be tolerated.
“For this event, we applied to use the stadium and they refused us. Let me make it clear: next time, if you don’t approve our request, we will break in and take it by force.
Enough is enough. Nobody can deny us the facilities of the state,” Wike said .
The FCT minister emphasized that public facilities belong to the people and cannot be monopolized by any government or political interest.
He accused the Governor Fubara administration of deliberately obstructing their activities, stressing that such actions would no longer be tolerated, even as he also criticized the government’s priorities, noting that effective leadership depends on commitment, not massive budgets.
The event, which drew together federal lawmakers from Rivers State, federal appointees, members of the State House of Assembly, and all 23 local government chairmen loyal to Wike, as they pledged their support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike thanked President Tinubu for supporting the “rainbow coalition” ahead of the February 21, 2026, state constituency bye-elections, and urged supporters to back the coalition’s candidates regardless of party affiliation.
“Whether you are in PDP, APC, or don’t belong to any party, if you are part of this joint coalition, go out and vote for our candidates on February 21,” he said.
The Mayor of Port Harcourt and ALGON Chairman in Rivers State ALGON, Allwell Ihunda, inaugurated the Renewed Hope Ambassadors coordinators for the three senatorial districts in the state with Boma Iyaye for Rivers East, Felix Obuah for Rivers West, and Marcus Nle Ejii for Rivers South-East.
The Rivers State Government has not issued an official response to Wike’s warning, but senior government sources insist that access to state-owned facilities follows established procedures and is subject to security, scheduling, and administrative considerations.
But a senior civil servant who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that the stadium in question was undergoing renovation works, even as he questioned Wike’s right to talk to the Rivers State Government without respect.
“As if he would tolerate this nonsense and insults when he was the governor.”
He called on President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency call Wike to order for the purpose of peace in Rivers State.
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