The Rivers State Government has slammed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko over his attacks on Governor Nyesom Wike.

Nwoko, a former lawmaker and businessman on Monday called for the expulsion of Wike from the PDP following the infighting in the party.

Wike, who contested for the PDP’s presidential ticket and lost to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has a running battle with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, accusing him of manipulating the primary election in favour of Atiku, a fellow northerner.

Wike and four fellow governors who make up a group known as G-5 Governors have demanded the resignation of Ayu from his position for a Southerner to take over. They insisted that he cannot continue to hold on the office of the national chairman while a fellow northerner is the party’s presidential candidate.

However, Nwoko in calling for Wike’s expulsion from the party, said he has constituted a nuisance to the PDP.

He said, “Wike is a nuisance, quote me anywhere. If I were [in] the leadership of the party, I would have acted differently. I would have done things differently. He has done a lot of damage to the PDP and I don’t know what they are waiting for to show him the way out.”

But reacting to Nwoko’s call for Wike’s expulsion from the party, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Chris Finebone, lambasted him, saying his incessant verbal attacks on the governor were connected to the $418 million Paris Club refund being claimed by some alleged consultants led by Nwoko, which Wike and other governors have stopped.

Finebone said, “For the benefit of those who may be at sea why Ned Nwoko has embarked on his voyage of unwarranted attacks on Gov. Nyesom Wike, it has to be said that Ned Nwoko is reeling and riling due to the agitation and legal action by some governors, of which Gov. Wike was one, that effectively stopped the attempt to fleece the commonwealth of Nigerians to the tune of $418 million over the Paris Club refund to some consultants led by Ned Nwoko.

“It would be recalled that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami asked the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to release $418 million to Linas International Ltd, a company owned by Prince Ned Nwoko, and other consultants over the Paris Club refund saga.

“Gov. Nyesom Wike is among the governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors Forum who approached the court to stop that deduction from the allocation to states and payment of same to Ned Nwoko and other so-called consultants.

“It is understandable that since the botched attempt to swindle states of Nigeria of that whopping sum of $418 million for a bogus and unverifiable service purported to have been rendered around the Paris Refund years back by Ned Nwoko and others, the former lawmaker and businessman has resorted to throwing tantrums at Gov. Wike at the slightest opportunity even when the former lacks proper understanding of the issues in question.”

The commissioner explained that the only conclusion to be made is that Nwoko is bitter that Wike and his fellow governors effectively stopped him and others from fleecing Nigeria to the tune of $418 million.

“Ned Nwoko appears to have particularly become the most bitter that he was stopped from obtaining free money to finance his passion for marrying little girls who tickle his fancy every now and then – a passion he has taken beyond the boundaries of Nigeria and therefore has become insatiable for money.

“The Rivers State Government is challenging Ned Nwoko to make public the details of the kind of business he does apart from seeking spurious deals around government corridors to finance his passion.”