Rivers crisis: You’re blocking peace efforts – PANDEF knocks Wike

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The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of actively hindering peace efforts aimed at addressing the ongoing crisis in Rivers State.

PANDEF is urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure that Wike agrees to engage in dialogue before the situation in Rivers State worsens.

Obong Victor Attah, the chairman of PANDEF’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, spoke to the press in Abuja on Friday. He revealed that all efforts to involve Wike in negotiations, despite President Tinubu’s calls for dialogue, have been unsuccessful.

Attah, accompanied by PANDEF National Chairman Ambassador Godknows Igali, expressed frustration over Wike’s refusal to meet with the committee, which is impeding efforts to reduce tensions in the state.

He explained how PANDEF, a regional body formed in 2016 to advocate for the Niger Delta’s interests, had made proactive attempts to mediate in the Rivers State political crisis.

“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.

“In a determination to prevent a full-blown crisis from developing, we constituted a team of eminent elders from across the South-South region,” Attah said.

He highlighted that a PANDEF delegation met with President Tinubu on March 11, 2025, to seek his intervention, emphasizing that the success of any peace process depended on Wike’s willingness to participate.

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