The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of obstructing peace efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.
PANDEF has now called on President Bola Tinubu to step in and ensure Wike engages in dialogue before the situation worsens.
Chairman of PANDEF’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee, and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, addressed journalists in Abuja on Friday, expressing frustration over Wike’s refusal to cooperate despite President Tinubu’s appeal for dialogue.
Flanked by PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Attah lamented that Wike’s reluctance to engage with the committee is hindering efforts to restore stability in the state.
The former Akwa Ibom governor outlined PANDEF’s proactive steps to mediate 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.
He further revealed that a PANDEF delegation met with President Tinubu on March 11, 2025, to seek his intervention, emphasizing that the success of any peace efforts depends on Wike’s willingness to engage in dialogue.
 has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of obstructing peace efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.){kind=link}