The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has warned that any orchestrated plan to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State would lead to a widespread instability in the oil-bearing Niger Delta region.
The Ijaw apex group also stated that the Ijaw people would defend 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.
The body added that any attempt to undermine Governor Fubara would have dire consequences for national peace and economic stability.
The INC, President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, stated this in a statement on Monday evening, declaring that the Supreme Court judgment failed to acknowledge the historical and political sacrifices made by the Ijaw people in Rivers State’s governance.
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, regrettably, the same resources are now being used to marginalize the Ijaw people.
He pointed out that, this trend extends beyond Rivers State to Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom, where Ijaws continue to face political exclusion.
Giving a direct warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the INC insisted that the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State must not be treated as ordinary politicking.
Okaba stressed that the Ijaw people, numbering over 40 million worldwide, would not tolerate any attempt to undermine their place in Nigerian politics.
He further stated that while it enjoins Governor Fubara to in the spirit of sportsmanship work with all duly constituted arms of government in the State, “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—a veiled warning of potential disruptions in the region’s petroleum industry.”
Okaba said, “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.”
He recalled that “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.
