Firing back at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike over his reaction to Friday’s walkout saga by some Rivers women at an even organised by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a group, the Rivers Professional Women League, (RPWL) insisted on Saturday that the protesting women walked out on the wife of the sole administrator, Theresa Ibas and not Mrs. Tinubu.
The women professionals berated Wike for attempting to spin the narrative to suit his purpose, asserting that “Rivers women did not and cannot walk out on the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu or disrespect her husband, President Bola Tinubu”. They described such a narrative as “the imaginative spinning of Chief Nyesom Wike to blackmail Rivers people as always”.
In a statement titled, “Overburdened Response of Wike to Women Walk-out, Not on Nigeria First Lady, but on Mrs. Ibas”, the group said by the content of the response signed by the FCT minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lanre Olayinka, “Chief Nyesom Wike wants Rivers women to be beaten and coerced at the same time not to cry”, likening it to “killing one’s goat and showing him the stick with which you used to kill the goat”.
The statement, signed by Nimi Fiberisima, Jennifer Boms Wolugbom, and Tambari Menete, President, Secretary and Director of Publicity respectively, said they would have ignored the statement as usual, “but for the fact that each time, Chief Nyesom Wike wants to use every reaction of Rivers people against injustice, high handedness and inequities against them to blackmail an elected governor of the people before President Bola Tinubu”, which they said “is what is most baffling and inglorious”.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Wike had, in his reaction to the walkout, accused Fubara of being the mastermind. He described the incident as “very disturbing and embarrassing” and apologised to President Tinubu for the perceived insult.
According to him, “Insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria in an event is a direct insult on the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as a leader in Rivers State, I apologise.”
But putting the matter in proper perspective the women professionals said, “The truth remains that Rivers Women hold the Nigerian First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu in high esteem and couldn’t have walked out on her.
“The disconnect is that women were misinformed that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu will be represented by the wife of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hajiya Fatima Abbas Tajudeen, on the strength of which they happily mobilised and excitedly prepared to receive her. Unfortunately, as they gathered in expectation, they were shocked to see Mrs. Theresa Ibas which in itself was improper.
“It is therefore unfounded and preposterous for Chief Nyesom Wike to suddenly conclude as always to say the least, that Rivers Women embarrassed the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and by extension Mr. President.
“Undoubtedly, Rivers women respect and love Mr. President, his leadership and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and support her visionary empowerment programme, Renewed Hope Initiative, but the challenge is that often, Chief Nyesom Wike tends to be more Catholic than the Pope.
“He feels he is the only Nigerian that loves and supports the President most and almost believes that the President’s breath depends on him”.
Distancing Fubara from the incident, the women said they are miffed “by this constant unnecessary heating up Rivers polity”, stressing that “Gov. Siminalayi Fubara is not by any means involved or directed any of the Rivers Women to act on his behalf as to what transpired in Port Harcourt on Friday, May 2, 2025”.
According to them, “The women are just organic supporters who do not want to be taken for a ride. Much as Governor Siminalayi Fubara is toeing the path of peace and embarking on reconciliation process, does not translate to enslavement and/or insulting the sensibility of Rivers people as being manipulated”.
Recalling a similar situation in Delta State when some school of nursing students expressed their discontent at an event in the presence of the First Lady, RWPL posited that “no one shouted blue murder against the governor or linked the action to the Governor even though the students were mobilised by the state”, and wondered why things are always different in Rivers State “just because Wike is a Minister?”
The group reminded him that political position is transient “and in no time, this phase of history will pass, and all the actors will also fizzle out, some on the good side and some others on the bad side”.