Rivers: “Remove Fubara, Face Consequences” – Ijaw National Congress Warns

By Ayodele Oni

The political tension in Rivers State, occasioned by the Supreme Court judgement, has continued to hieghten, as the Ijaw National Congress (INC) threatened that any attempt to undermine Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration would have dire consequences for national peace and economic stability.

It condemned  the Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers State political crisis, warning that it could lead to widespread instability in the Niger Delta.

The INC, through its President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, declared that the judgment failed to acknowledge the historical and political sacrifices made by the Ijaw people in Rivers State’s governance.

Tracing the roots of political dynamics in Rivers State, the INC emphasized that the Ijaw people have played a crucial role in shaping the state’s leadership for decades.

The Ijaw leader stated that the Ijaw people will defend Governor Fubara “with every pint of blood in their veins”, emphasizing that they 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, “regrettable, the same resources are now being used to marginalize the Ijaw people.”

He specifically pointed out that this trend extends beyond Rivers State to Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom, where Ijaws continue to face political exclusion.

Prof. Okaba stressed the situation in the state has gonebeyond ordinary politicking adding that the Ijaw people, numbering over 40 million worldwide, would not tolerate any attempt to undermine their place in Nigerian politics.

He enjoined  Fubara to, in the spirit of sportsmanship, work with all duly constituted arms of government in the State but that, if Governor Fubara’s tenure is truncated by the 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.