Following scathing remarks in the build up to the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the Niger- Delta Change Ambassadors Forum (NDCAF) has warned Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to desist from any further attempt to demonise the Nigerian Army.
The South-South based group gave this reprimand at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday to address what it described as “the unholy dance on the grave of Nigerian fallen heroes by Governor Wike”.
During a church service on Sunday to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the governor downplayed the contributions of the gallant troops, especially at the last polls.
However, the Niger-Delta Change Ambassadors advised public office holders such as the Governor Wike, to desist from statements that are capable of causing disaffection in the polity.
In a statement signed by President, Comrade Asamowei Ebiakpo, the group believes Wike’s comment is a attempt to cause an unholy distraction in the fight against terrorism and other militant groups in Nigeria.
According to them, the governor is still pained by the Army’s resolute stance and timely intervention at the last general elections in Rivers state, without which the state would have erupted in violence.
The Niger- Delta Change Ambassadors Forum, therefore, advised Mr Wike to show respect for apolitical institutions such as the Nigerian Army, whose constitutional mandate requires that the territorial integrity of the country is preserved at all times.
The group added that the timing of his utterances is an indication that Mr Wike is ungrateful for the sacrifices of the gallant troops and he is indeed dancing on the graves of Nigeria’s fallen heroes .