PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: In a stark declaration, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has issued a chilling warning of potential anarchy should lawmakers in Rivers State allow themselves to be manipulated into impeaching the State Governor, His Excellency Similaye Fubara.
The INC expressed deep concern, labeling the unfolding situation in Rivers State as deeply troubling and fraught with the potential to ignite unwarranted insecurity and instability that could, in turn, threaten not just the Niger Delta region but also the entire Nigerian economy. The Congress emphatically asserted, “Enough is enough.”
The President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Ogele Okaba, emphasized that the Ijaw community would not stand idly by and watch as certain lawmakers are coerced into facilitating the governor’s impeachment. Okaba also called upon President Senator Bola Tinubu to intervene and implore the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, to cease his perceived malicious actions in Rivers State.
In an official statement, the Ijaw National Congress lamented, “The attention of the Ijaw National Congress has been drawn to a grand plot masterminded by the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, now the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, to unlawfully impeach the duly elected Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Similaye Fubara, who is barely five months into his tenure as the Governor of Rivers State.” The statement further underscored that this development could have dire consequences, potentially plunging the Niger Delta region and the entire Nigerian economy into crisis.
The INC firmly asserted that, based on available information, Governor Fubara had committed no wrongdoing that warranted his removal from office, except for his refusal to be a pawn to the former Governor. The Congress went on to condemn these actions as “barbaric, selfish, nepotistic, and unconstitutional,” characterizing them as detrimental to the process of democratic consolidation in Nigeria.
In a resolute tone, the INC called upon Barrister Nyesom Wike to focus on his responsibilities as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and to refrain from interfering in the political landscape of Rivers State for personal gain. Additionally, the body urged President and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to rein in his FCT Minister.
The Ijaw National Congress rallied its community members, urging Ijaw sons, daughters, and friends to unite in support of the Governor of Rivers State. They stressed that an injustice to one Ijaw individual equated to an injustice to the entire Ijaw population, totaling forty million worldwide. The Ijaw Nation vowed to monitor the situation closely and take decisive action at the appropriate time.
