The Ijaw National Congress (INC) yesterday said the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers State political crisis could lead to widespread instability in the Niger Delta.
President, INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, in a statement, alleged that the judgment failed to acknowledge the historical and political sacrifices made by the Ijaw people in Rivers State’s governance.
He said any attempt to undermine Governor Siminalayi Fubara would have dire consequences for national peace and economic stability.
He said the Rivers political crisis must not be treated as ordinary politicking, stressing that the Ijaw people would not tolerate any attempt to undermine their place in Nigerian politics.
Okaba enjoined Fubara to, in the spirit of sportsmanship, work with all duly constituted arms of government in the state.
According to him, if Fubara’s tenure is truncated, the INC cannot guarantee the sustenance of the current peace in the Niger Delta.
He noted that the Ijaw people had played a crucial role in shaping the state’s leadership for decades.
“In 1999, an Ijaw leader, Chief Marshall Harry, was instrumental in securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 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 (APP).
“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.
“Similarly, in 2011, when Rotimi Amaechi sought to nominate Pastor Tonye Cole as a minister, Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of then-President Goodluck Jonathan, ensured that Nyesom Wike took the slot instead. The INC lamented that despite these consistent sacrifices by the Ijaw people, an Ikwerre political elite now seeks to frustrate the first riverine governor in decades.”
