The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the pinnacle socio-political organization of the North and South Geopolitical Belt, has raised an alarm that Nisom Wik, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), is using all available measures to block peace efforts to deal with Crisis Locking Rivers Province.
Pandef intervened with President Bola Tinubu to urge Wike to appear on the negotiation table before a situation where Wike was even more out of control.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Abuja, Chair of the Pandev Peace and Reconciliation Committee and Governor Akwa Ibom State, Aubou Victor Atta said that despite President Bora Tinubu’s appeal to the modest appeal of President Bora Tinubu, all efforts to engage former Governor Rivers State with the Peace and Reconciliation Committee have revived Laber State Abiotti.
Adjacent to the briefing of Pandef National Chairman of Pandef National Godknows Igali, Obong Attah lamented that Wike’s reluctance to meet the committee is hampering efforts to eliminate tensions in the state.
Attah details how Pandef, a respected regional agency founded in 2016 to defend the interests of Niger Delta, took aggressive steps to mediate the political crisis in Rivers State.
He said, “After holding a special general meeting in Port Harcourt in October 2024, the group established a seven-member high-level peace and reconciliation committee.
In particular, the committee excluded Rivers State representatives to ensure neutrality.
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“In our determination to prevent the full-scale crisis from developing, we formed a team of prominent elders from the South-South region,” Atta said.
“However, despite repeated attempts, we have not been able to secure a meeting with Chief Nisom Week, who continues to refuse peace efforts.”
Noting that the Pandev delegation met with President Tinubu on March 11, 2025 to seek intervention, Ach said the delegation has made it clear that the success of the peace process depends on the willingness to come to the table.
He said, “We have informed the President of the difficulties we faced in ensuring the cooperation of his ministers.
“It’s very troublesome that Chief Wik dismissed Pandev as “the worst organization for everyone” in a recent media chat, but the president didn’t treat us with such a disregard when he received us. ”
Attah emphasized that dialogue requires mutual involvement and cannot be forced on only one party.
“It is impossible to applaud one hand. Negotiations can only be made if both parties to the conflict agree that it will be accessible and available.”
“Given Wike’s continued rejection, Pandef is now considering withdrawing entirely from mediation efforts. If this impasse continues, it will only have to settle the Peace and Reconciliation Committee and retreat from further attempts to resolve this crisis,” Attah warned. “But our fear is that this can have devastating consequences.”
More details later…
