The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has raised concerns over the refusal of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to engage with its Peace and Reconciliation Committee, despite President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for dialogue to restore stability in Rivers State.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, the Chairman of PANDEF’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee and former Governor of Cross River State, Obong Victor Attah, 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.
“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.
“However, despite repeated attempts, we have been unable to secure a meeting with Chief Nyesom Wike, who has continued to rebuff our peace efforts.”
According to Attah, a PANDEF delegation met with President Tinubu on March 11, 2025, to seek his intervention. The delegation made it clear that the success of any peace process hinged on Wike’s willingness to come to the table.
“We informed Mr. President of the difficulties we have faced in securing the cooperation of his cabinet minister,” Attah explained.
“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 stressed 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,” Attah warned. “However, 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.
Details later…
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