Rivers Crisis: PANDEF accuses Wike of blocking peace efforts
By Ndukaku Ihe
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has accused the Minister of Federal Territory(FCT), Nyesom Wike of blocking all peace efforts to end the political crises in Rivers State.
The accusation came even as the group debunked claims by the former Rivers State governor in a recent media chat, alleging that the organisation took President Bola Tinubu to court over his position on the Rivers crises.
PANDEF worried over the refusal of the FCT Minister to engage with its Peace and Reconciliation Committee, despite President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for dialogue to restore stability in Rivers State.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees of PANDEF and Chairman of the organisation’s Peace, Reconciliation Committee and former Governor of Cross River State, Victor Attah, and its President, Godknows Igali, lamented that Wike’s unwillingness to meet with the committee is obstructing efforts to de-escalate tensions in the state.
Attah detailed how PANDEF, a respected regional body established in 2016 to champion the interests of the Niger Delta, had taken proactive steps to mediate in the political crisis in Rivers State.
Following a Special General Assembly in Port Harcourt in October 2024, the group set up a seven-member High-Level Peace and Reconciliation Committee.
Notably, the committee excluded any representatives from Rivers State to ensure neutrality.
He explained: “In a determination to prevent a full-blown crisis from developing, we constituted a team of eminent elders from across the South-South region.
“However, despite repeated attempts, we have been unable to secure a meeting with Chief Nyesom Wike, who has continued to rebuff our peace efforts.”
He said a PANDEF delegation met with President Tinubu on March 11, 2025, to seek his intervention and made it clear that the success of any peace process hinged on Wike’s willingness to come to the table.
His words: “We informed Mr. President of the difficulties we have faced in securing the cooperation of his cabinet minister.
“It is deeply troubling that Chief Wike has dismissed PANDEF as ‘the worst organization for anyone to rely on’ in a recent media chat, yet the President did not treat us with such disregard when he received us.”
Attah noted that dialogue requires mutual engagement and cannot be forced upon one party alone.
“It is not possible to clap with one hand. Negotiation can only take place if both parties in dispute agree to be accessible and available,” he said.
Given Wike’s continued rebuff, PANDEF is now considering withdrawing entirely from mediation efforts.
“If this impasse persists, we will have no choice but to disband the Peace and Reconciliation Committee and step back from any further attempts to resolve this crisis. Our fear is that this could have catastrophic consequences.”
PANDEF urged President Tinubu to intervene and ensure Wike comes to the negotiation table before the situation in Rivers State spirals further out of control.
PANDEF’s National President, Igali described the FCT minister’s insinuation that they were financially induced as very cheeky. “That is very cheeky. Because I’ve said earlier, when you have a group made up of former governors, former ministers, chairman of traditional religious councils, some of whom have been themselves former governors and former ministers, It’s just totally out of question. Wike himself, is our son. Every son of Niger Delta is part of PANDEF.”
Igali recalled that the organization has stood by Wike including when they were protesting against his nomination as minister, and it was the late Elder Statesman, Edwin Clark, whom they accused Wike of disparaging and his memory, that issued a statement in his defence.
“Let me tell you, when the minister became minister, and you will recall, in fact, there were some insinuations that somebody from the South, should not be minister of FCT, and there were even demonstrations in Abuja against the honorable minister of the FCT. It was the same PANDEF that came out to rebuff the Nigerians, and the same chief Clark that he (Wike) waved at that issued a statement and said that every Nigerian can hold any position if the president finds him worthy and the Senate clears him.
“That press statement is there, we can pull it out. After that, Wike the minister of the Federal Capital City, our son, received the delegation from PANDEF, in his office in appreciation, of his people standing by him. So, if after some time, he now feels that it is a worse organization, well, maybe times have changed.”
On PANDEF taking Tinubu to court, its president, Igali said: “There was no time that PANDEF took Mr President to court, maybe it’s a slip of the tongue. It never happened. This is the first time that PANDEF as an organization is making a public statement on this situation in the Rivers State since the crisis started. And even when the peace committee started working, we placed an embargo that they must not speak to anybody until we arrive at the threshold.
“Yes, there were personal views that were expressed by some members of PANDEF. But there was no time that PANDEF as an organization…there is no press statement. So it is unthinkable to say that PANDEF went to court at all.“
Recall that Wike had criticised PANDEF over its stance on the ongoing political crises in Rivers State. He described PANDEF as “the worst organization anybody can rely on,” accusing its leaders of being financially driven and politically motivated.
