Ambassador Chijioke Ihunwo, the newly inaugurated chairperson of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, has ordered the removal of the name of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike from an administrative building in the council secretariat.
During a visit to the council secretariat on Monday, Mr. Ihunwo announced that the building, previously named after Wike, would now be called “Obi Wali House.”
Mr. Ihunwo’s visit to the secretariat came just an hour after hoodlums attacked and set ablaze the Ikwerre and Emohua local government secretariats.
The chairperson, elected in a local election held on Saturday without police security due to a court order, wasted no time asserting his authority.
Speaking in a video posted on his X handle, Ihunwo warned, “I want to advise Rivers State Police Command, let them be neutral. For this local government, we will protect and die. They have burnt Ikwerre, and Emouhua (council secretariats). We are ready for them,” Premium Times reported.
Pointing to the building inscription that read “Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike ADMIN BLOCK,” Ihunwo declared, “He (Wike) does not allow the people to rest. On that note, as the chairperson of the council, I have renamed it Obi Wali House,” sparking cheers from those present.
He further instructed that the changes be made by the following morning, challenging anyone to oppose his decision.
This marks the second time in just four months that Wike has faced humiliation in his local government area amid an ongoing political feud with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Recall that in June, youths in the area tore down Wike’s statue at the Obio/Akpor council secretariat, accusing him of using police to attack them during disputes with council officials loyal to Wike.
Wike, who has held multiple prominent political roles in Rivers State, including two terms as governor and the current FCT Minister, has seen growing tension with Fubara over control of the political structure in the state.
The renaming of the building in honour of late Senator Obi Wali, a distinguished Ikwerre intellectual and former senator known for his exceptional contributions, points out Ihunwo’s desire to honour the legacy of Wali, whose memory is revered amongst the Ikwerre people.
Obi Wali was gruesomely murdered in his home in 1993, and has since been memorialized with the Obi Wali Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, commissioned by the Rivers State Government in 2014.
His legacy continues through annual memorial lectures established by his ethnic group.
