Rivers crisis: 41 political groups slam Tinubu’s aide over verbal attack on Wike

2026-02-01 - 11:39

By Daniel Abia The leadership of Rivers Restoration Movement, RRM, a Frontline grassroot mobilisation political group, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack his media aide, Daniel Bwala, for his “unwarranted” verbal attack on the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Barr Nyesom Wike. The group, in a coalition with 40 affiliate groups in Rivers State, on Sunday, condemned what it described as “unwarranted, vexatious and unfortunate public attack on the FCT Minister and leader of Rivers State politics, H.E. Nyesom Wike”, over the Rivers State political crisis. The group alleged that, besides working for President Tinubu as Adviser on Media and Policy Communications, Bwala is also alleged to still be loyal to his former boss, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON. “As a group, we are not surprised over this recent public shame exhibited by a supposed spokesman of the President on the Rivers State political imbroglio because we know Mr Daniel Bwala as one who speaks from both sides of his mouth. “He satisfies his paymasters when it comes to policy communication on national or political issues. Rivers Restoration Movement believes the real issues are plain for the Nigerians to see”. RRM wondered where Daniel Bwala was when, in 2023, the FCT minister delivered Mr President in Rivers State, which was the only state in the entire South-South and South East that Mr President won in 2023. “As a group, we are forced to believe that Mr Bwala is on a mission to destroy the FCT minister because Atiku’s defeat in 2023 was 60% due to the influence of Minister Wike, who ensured the South was allowed to replace late President Muhammadu Buhari, and that has made Bwala extremely bitter that he has lost his sense of reasoning. “It is also sad that Bwala, who has no political value anywhere in Nigeria and was not privy to the agreement reached between Governor Fubara and the FCT Minister after the emergency rule was lifted, will come on national television to denigrate the FCT, rubbish his achievements in the FCT, which ultimately affects Mr President’s popularity. “RRM wants to make it clear to Bwala that the FCT MINISTER remains the leader of Rivers State politics and head of the renewed hope political wing for President Tinubu in Rivers State. Bwalla is advised to stay off Rivers State politics because his tactics of cash and carry commentary will fail this time”. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday and jointly signed by Hon Johnson Georgewill (Director General, RRM) and Mrs Sarima Akpata, Secretary RRM, RRM called on President Tinubu to “sack Mr Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Media and Policy Communications, because of his misrepresentation of the Presidency on issues concerning Rivers State that Mr President has handled with agreements reached”. It called on Bwala to know that his alleged support for H.E Atiku Abubakar will fail because “we, under the leadership of H.E Nyesom Wike, CON will ensure that Mr President wins comfortably in Rivers State, the South-South, and ultimately win the entire states in Nigeria in 2027”. Vanguard News