“Mr President, Wike Alone Cannot Secure Rivers Votes For You, Call Him To Order”

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

“A destabilized Rivers State will affect Nigeria in ways one cannot imagine” – INC

The apex umbrella body of the Ijaw,  Ijaw National Congress, INC,  Worldwide, has expressed fear that if not urgently halted, the festering crisis in Rivers state has the potential  to engulf the entire country.

At a media briefing on October 15, 2024, INC President, Prof Benjamin Okaba, called on President Bola Tinubu to rein in Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

He warned that Wike’s continued efforts at stoking crisis in the oil rich state is not in the interest of Nigeria.

The Source reports that Wike, who is, also, the immediate past Governor of Rivers state, has since October, 2023 been in the trenches with his political godson and successor in office, Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the control of the soul of the State.

The battle of attrition has drawn many combatants and inflicted severe disruptive consequences on the peace and stability of the State.

Not a few are strongly persuaded that the President’s subtle support for Wike, has largely emboldened him to dig deeper into the trenches.

To this end ,the INC has insisted on President Tinubu calling his Minister to order before he sets the entire country ablaze .

“Mr President, Sir, as the father of the Nation, the alter ego of Nigeria, we are fervently appealing to you to call the FCT Minister to order .

“This is for the sake of peace and security in Nigeria. Stop this drift towards national disintegration and anarchy now.

“We understand the detects of politics and the need to harvest Rivers votes for the president’s second tenure election.

“What we misunderstand is the thought that only the FCT Minister can assist the President to win Rivers” the INC President noted .

Prof Okaba maintained that  it will amount to a serious error of judgment to think that Wike alone can determine the direction of Rivers State’s votes,as well as the political fate of the President and/ or any other persons.

He blamed the ongoing bitter and unnecessary political battle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike on 2027 permutations, particularly as they concern the President’s chances in Rivers state.

According to him, despite many Rivers  stakeholders viewing the eight point resolution agenda brokered by the President at the Villa as being against Governor Fubara, he has, nevertheless, kept faith with it.

“In October 2023, you called stakeholders to a meeting and tabled an 8-point directive to all parties involved to return peace to Rivers .

“Whereas many of our people considered your 8-point directive as manifestly slanted against the Governor’s interest and in favour of the FCT Minister, the Governor acceded to it”  Prof Okoba stated

But he, however, expressed regret that while the Governor strived to keep to the terms of the agreement, the opposite party acted in total breach of the accord.

The INC President noted that apart from refusing to withdraw all pending Court actions, the Wike group, witthin  three weeks after the Abuja peace parley, goaded the Martins Amaewfule-led State Lawmakers to defect to the All Progressive Congress, APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He explained that their concern as a group and people, is for the president to come to terms with the reality that a  destabilized Rivers state is invariably a crisis afflicted Nigeria.