Two weeks after the National Assembly suggested a peace committee, attempts to get Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike together have stalled, underscoring the political turmoil that is roiling Rivers State.
In March, President Bola Tinubu imposed a state of emergency due to the state’s increased tensions. As a result, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all state lawmakers were suspended for six months. The Sole Administrator position was promptly filled by Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (rtd).
While the President’s request was promptly granted by the National Assembly, both houses recommended the establishment of a committee to arbitrate between the opposing parties prior to the suspension period ending. The peace process hasn’t been started, yet, with any real progress.
According to sources in the state capital, Port Harcourt, several well-known Ijaw and Rivers politicians’ actions during the conflict are impeding reconciliation.
The individuals who ought to have guided us out of the woods this time chose sides in the crisis. An insider stated, “They are not credible enough to invite the two parties to a roundtable.”
Many Ijaw leaders publicly backed Governor Fubara while excluding Wike, the source said, further widening the rift. He also accused other organizations, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, of renunciating their impartial positions.
He said that former President Goodluck Jonathan was pressured to support Governor Fubara in the conflict instead of leading the peace negotiations at this time. The Ijaw were let down by the Ijaw National Congress (INC), which was obviously biased on the issue and was led by Prof. Benjamin Okaba. Professor Okaba made things worse.
He went on to say, “Remember that all of the seniors in Rivers are already split into either the Wike or Fubara groups. These individuals should have stepped forward at this point, but they no longer enjoy the respect necessary to promote true reconciliation. Nothing appears to be being done to initiate any reconciliation as of right now.
The way some Ijaw leaders handled the situation also disappointed Jonathan Lokpobiri, president of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide.
“I can say with all sincerity and responsibility that we would not be in this situation now if we had handled this crisis in Rivers wisely,” Lokpobiri stated. We opted to threaten war for which we were unprepared, rather than using prudence in situations that we could prevent.
He went on, “People use thoughtless language to try to drag an ethnic group into an unwanted conflict. The war arrived for those who threatened fire and brimstone, but I no longer heard their voices. We must prosecute the Niger Delta’s struggles sensibly.
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Lokpobiri emphasized that emotional outbursts have no place in important political disputes while restating support for Fubara to serve out his sentence. “Wisdom can sometimes be more powerful than the weapons we believe we have amassed,” he added. “We wouldn’t be in this awkward situation of a state of emergency if we had resolved this issue internally as we previously suggested.”
Kennedy Tonjo-West, the president of MOSIEND (the Movement for Izon Ethnic Nationality Development), stated that his organization has remained impartial during the conflict and is now prepared to assist in starting peace initiatives.
“I am currently doing some conversations in order to ensure that the reconciliation process begins on schedule. Without further ado, we want Rivers to resume a reconciliation process,” he stated.
Wike had previously backed the governor, but he and Fubara have been at odds since the general elections in 2023.
The majority of the suspended lawmakers, many of whom are Wike supporters, are reportedly on vacation overseas, while Governor Fubara has since returned to his private home in Port Harcourt.
