Wike vs Fubara: ljaw group warns against jeopardising peace, stability in Niger Delta

A coalition of groups in the Niger Delta region, the ljaw Renaissance Force, has warned against action capable of jeopardising the existing peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.

The organisation, said to comprise more than 1O0 ethnic nationalities and youth groups operating in Rivers and Bayelsa states, was reacting to the simmering cold war between the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike and the governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara.

The face-off degenerated recently, following moves by a faction of the state House of Assembly to initiate an impeachment process against the governor, with loyalists of the governor in the Assembly putting up stiff resistance.
Some yet-to-be identified persons also set fire on parts of the Assembly Complex in the frightening dimensions to the brewing political crisis in the state.

Recall that Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers, played a pivotal role in the emergence of Fubara as his successor in Government House.

In a statement signed by the coordinator of the ijaw coalition, Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli and the spokesman, Sir White Kalio, the members called for caution from those trying to stoke the fire so that the prevailing peace and stability in the Niger Delta is not jeopardised.

They explained that the coalition has made frantic efforts to rally major stakeholders in the region to resolve the face-off between the two leaders amicably in the overall interest of the people, urging those the coalition members believe are bent on undermining the sacred mandate of the voting population to have a rethink.

Part of the statement read: “We have also watched with baited breath attempts by some elected officials and other non-state actors to stage manage the forceful removal from office of duly elected Governor Fubara through the back door without any justifiable reason.

“On our part, the coalition has made spirited efforts and reached out to both parties and other critical stakeholders in the power struggle in a bid to let sanity prevail so as to uphold the sacred mandate of Rivers people for the good governance they so much
desired.

“We, therefore, state unequivocally that any attempted or vexed impeachment judicial stage-managed removal of Governor Sim Fubara from office would spell another return to the bitter struggle in Rivers. A word is enough or the wise.”

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