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The Ijaw National Congress has warned against any attempt to impeach the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, saying it cannot guarantee the peace of the Niger Delta region.
While condemning last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment affirming the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as the authentic members of the State House of Assembly, the body said it was capable of plunging the entire region into crisis.
The INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, stated this in a statement issued on Monday evening and made available to newsmen.
Prof. Okaba further criticized the apex court ruling on the Rivers political crisis, pointing out that it failed to acknowledge the historical and political sacrifices made by the Ijaw people in governing Rivers State.
He warned that any attempt to undermine the office of Governor Fubara would have dire consequences for national peace and economic stability, especially in the crude oil and gas-rich region.
The INC boss emphasized that the Ijaw people have played a crucial role in shaping the state’s leadership for decades, saying, “In 1999, an Ijaw leader, Chief Marshall Harry, was instrumental in securing the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for Dr. Peter Odili, despite a formidable challenge from Sergeant Awuse.
“Harry further ensured Odili’s victory against a Kalabari opponent, Chief Ebenezer Isokariari of the All Peoples Party.”
Okaba continued, “In 2003, the INC recalled that when Marshall Harry backed Sergeant Awuse’s governorship ambition, it was not Awuse but Harry himself who was assassinated, marking a painful loss for the Ijaw people.
“By 2007, Ijaw leaders such as Soboma George and Farrah Dagogo played a decisive role in securing victory for Sir Celestine Omehia, while Prince Igodo, a Kalabari-Ijaw warlord, was killed during Omehia’s swearing-in to prevent security breaches.”
He further recalled that “In 2011, when Rotimi Amaechi sought to nominate Pastor Tonye Cole as a Minister, Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of the then President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, ensured that Nyesom Wike took the slot instead.”
Prof. Okaba frowned that despite these sacrifices by the Ijaw people, a political elite from the Ikwerre ethnic group now seeks to frustrate the first riverine Governor in decades, declaring that the Ijaw nation will defend Governor Fubara “With every pint of blood in their veins.”
Emphasising that the Ijaw people would not stand by and allow their long-awaited tenure to be truncated, Prof. Okaba also cautioned that while the INC has worked tirelessly to preserve peace in the Niger Delta, leading to increased oil production and revenue for the nation, he expressed regrets that the same resources are now being used to marginalize the Ijaw people.
He pointed out that this trend extends beyond Rivers State to Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom, where Ijaws continue to face political exclusion.
He therefore called on President Bola Tinubu to rise to the occasion, adding that the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State must not be treated as ordinary politics, stressing that the Ijaw people, numbering over 40 million worldwide, would not tolerate any attempt to undermine their place in Nigerian politics.
The INC President further stated that while it enjoins Governor Fubara to as a law-abiding citizen work with all duly constituted arms of government in the State.
He, however, warned that “If Governor Fubara’s tenure is truncated by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly or anybody else, the INC cannot guarantee the sustenance of the current peace in the Niger Delta, nor the continued rise in oil production—a veiled warning of potential disruptions in the region’s petroleum industry.”
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