The governor of Rivers state, Nyelsom Wike has been warned to desist from demonizing the Nigerian Army.
A group based in the South-South region of the country, Niger Delta Change Ambassadors Forum (NDCAF) gave the warning following scathing remarks in the build-up to the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day during an inter-denominational service.
The group during a press conference in Abuja described the governor’s comments as attempt to cause an unholy distraction in the fight against terrorism and other militant groups in Nigeria.
The President of the group, Comrade Asamowei Ebiakpo, advised public office holders to desist from statements that are capable of causing disaffection in the polity.
He said the governor is still pained by the Army’s resolute stance and timely intervention at the last general elections in Rivers state, without which the state would have erupted in violence.
Ebiakpo, therefore, advised the governor to show respect for apolitical institutions such as the Nigerian Army, whose constitutional mandate requires that the territorial integrity of the country is preserved at all times.
The group added that the timing of his utterances is an indication that Wike is ungrateful for the sacrifices of the gallant troops and he is indeed dancing on the graves of Nigeria’s fallen heroes.
‘’Governor Nyesom Wike must admit that his major grouse with the Nigerian Army is its resolute stance and timely intervention in the 2019 general elections in Rivers state, without which the state would have erupted in violence due to the planned activities of his political thugs that were mobilized to wreak havoc on innocent and unarmed citizens in the state,” he added.
