Ijaw leaders, comprising traditional rulers and stakeholders drawn from across the Niger Delta region, have urged all interested parties in the recent political crisis in Rivers State, which led to a change of leadership in the State House of Assembly as a result of attempts to impeach the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to peacefully and amicably settle their differences for the sake of posterity.
The chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, HRM King Bubaraye Dakolo, Second Vice President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Chief Nengi James, and other Ijaw groups, including the Citizens for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta (CSDND) and Ijaw National Development Group (INDG), said in a statement that it is too early for political actors to engage in a show of strength and ego clash that will throw the state into chaos.
While addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, Chief Nengi James called on elders and political leaders from the state, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyosome Wike, to continue to have intervention meetings with the warring parties in order to put an immediate end to the crisis rocking the state.
The leader of the Ijaw National Development Group (INDG), also known as the Ijaw People’s Assembly (IPA), also called on political actors in Rivers State to consider the people before any action against the elected governor of the state.
The Chairman of Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom in Yenagoa, King Bubaraye Dakolo, called on the warring factions to slash their swords in the interest of the people.
He said, “The warring party should slash their swords. That is what they need to do. I think when fights like this happen, everyone should know that they are there to serve the people.
And services to the people are paramount. It doesn’t matter what oath you take or what agreement you have with individuals or groups. As long as those agreements do not serve the people, they are illegal.
“So, the Governor, or whoever is wrestling with him, must know that the people of River State come before any individual so that the service and direction of these settlements must be victorious to reflect the maximum service of the people of River State.
The Governor of River State must ensure that the state is peaceful and do what will bring service to the people.
“The Governor should be loyal to the people of Rivers State. That is what he is there to do. Like I said earlier, it does not matter what oath he took or agreements he had, so long as those agreements do not maximise service to the people of Rivers State.”
He called on President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to do the right thing, saying “The President should tell the law enforcement agencies to follow the rules that spell out their responsibilities.
It means that, for instance, why should a police officer shoot at a governor instead of giving him the needed constitutional protection? Mr President must call the IG and other persons responsible for law and order to advise them that this is a new era.”
Also speaking, the Second Vice President of INC, Chief Nengi James, also called on the Rivers people to be calm and support the Governor, saying that “whether bad or good, he just came into power. He has started his blueprint; he has started his developmental agenda, and they are ongoing.
He is not in conflict with the Rivers people. We want both parties to dry their gunpowder, as Rivers State cannot be among those states that we have declared states of emergency.
“We want a situation where people in Rivers should be sleeping with their eyes closed. And I want to call on the security agencies that anytime there is a security issue, they should maintain neutrality.
The people should support the rule of law in the state. And I want to support our leader always.”
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