Rivers Crisis: Call Wike To Order To Avoid Nat’l Disintegration, INC Tells Tinubu
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) worldwide has advised President Bola Tinubu to call the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to order over the lingering crisis in Rivers to avoid national disintegration.
The President of INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, issued the advice at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the crisis in the oil-rich state is capable of spiralling out of control which could ultimately lead to disintegration.
He bemoaned the role the president has played since the crisis began warning that Wike is not the only person who could make the President win the 2027 election in the state.
Wike, who has maintained that he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is serving in the All Progressives Congress-led federal government as minister and has continued to take an active role in governance in his state of Rivers.
His inability to have his way, especially in sharing offices and state resources has set the state on fire with the governor, Sim Fubara.
The latest was the LG elections which Wike-controlled state PDP pulled out and kicked against being conducted by the governor whose associates moved to the Action Peoples Party (APP) to win the election.
Okaba said, “Mr President, 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’’, he said.
Okaba alleged that Wike’s power tussle with Fubara might not be unconnected with the minister’s desire to enhance Tinubu’s electoral fortunes in the next general polls.
“We understand the dictates of politics and the need to harvest Rivers votes for the President’s second tenure elections.
“What we misunderstand is the thought that only the FCT minister can assist the President to win Rivers’’, Okoba said.
He said Fubara had been faithful to Tinubu’s 8-point directive to both parties during the conflict resolution meeting held in Abuja.
“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,’’ he said.
According to him, while the governor acted in good faith concerning the directive, the minister acted otherwise by refusing to withdraw the court cases instituted by him.
He added that less than three weeks after the Presidential directives, Hon Martins Amaewhule, Wike’s political associate led 25 members of the Rivers House of Assembly to defect to the opposition APC.
He absolved Fubara of the controversy that followed the conduct of the LG elections noting that the governor obeyed the Supreme Court order, which stated that LGs must be administered by elected officers, without which funds must be withheld.
He argued that Fubara worked very hard to actualise the return of elected officers to the local government areas by Tinubu’s desires, backed by the Supreme Court judgement.
He emphasised that Fubara holds permanent olive branches, sending constant peace emissaries to the FCT minister yet that has failed.
‘’So again we appeal to Mr President to call the FCT minister to order as a stitch in time, they say saves nine,’’ he said.
Rivers Crisis: Call Wike To Order To Avoid Nat’l Disintegration, INC Tells Tinubu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
