Rivers Ijaw blasts INC-led Okaba for taking sides in crisis

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The Rivers Ijaw Peoples Congress (RIPCO) on Wednesday faulted the recent position of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) led by Prof. Benjamin Okaba, saying Okaba betrayed his position by choosing to take sides in the political crisis rocking Rivers State.

In his recent statement, Okaba among other things portrayed the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, as a peacemaker; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the aggressor and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the enabler of the crisis.

Okaba, who claimed that though the Presidential peace accord was skewed to favour Wike, said Fubara met all the conditions for peace contained in the agreement.

He said within three weeks after the agreement, the 27 lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) accusing federal institutions of supporting the actions of Wike against Fubara.

But in an open letter on Wednesday, RIPCO faulted the claims of Okaba, saying the INC press release was laced with numerous falsehoods and half-truths.

The letter, which was signed by RIPCO’s Leader, Senator George Thompson Sekibo; Director-General, Dr. Rowland Sekibo and Secretary, Dr. Erastus Awortu, said Okaba’s approach had only succeeded in escalating the tension instead of calming it.

The letter said: “Rather than calming the tensions, the INC President’s approach appears to exacerbate the crisis in Rivers State. For reasons only known to him,

Professor Okaba has chosen to allow the situation to escalate further. His statements, marked by inconsistency and lack of clarity, leave us no choice but to correct the narrative for the benefit of the public.

“As his relatives and fellow Ijaw brothers under the INC umbrella, we feel responsible for ensuring that the public receives a more balanced and accurate understanding, especially given his failure to live up to the expectations of a leader and father figure for the Ijaw people of Nigeria”.

Knocking out all the claims of Okaba, RIPCO highlighted the half-truths contained in Okaba’s statements and harped on the actions and utterances of Fubara that rubbished the whole essence of the presidential peace agreement.

The letter said: “First, the purported defection he mentioned was before the President’s intervention.

“Governor Siminalayi Fubara, after agreeing and signing the terms of the intervention agreement, gathered people in the government house the next morning, where they publicly condemned the president’s intervention as unconstitutional and attacked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the President.

“Governor Fubara, in a meeting with some Ijaw leaders from Bayelsa, declared that the document he signed was unconstitutional, that he signed it to keep the Assembly members floating, and that it was just a mere paper without legal backing.

“Thereafter, Governor Fubara sponsored some so-called elders and civil society to challenge the Presidential Intervention Peace Agreement in court and declined to uphold its contents.

In contrast, the Assembly members withdrew their matters and impeachment notices already served on him in accordance with the terms of the Intervention Peace Agreement.

“Governor Fubara, in utter disregard of the truce, mobilised thugs and trucks in an attempt to demolish the residential quarters of the Assembly members, but for the timely intervention of security agents.

“In furtherance of his contempt of the agreement, Governor Fubara ignored the Assembly and continues to run the state without an Assembly including not laying the 2024 Budget to this day”.

The letter continued: ” In disregard of the truce, he refused to conduct local Government elections. He went ahead to set up Caretaker Committees for the LGAs even after the Supreme Court had decided on it. In furtherance of his arrogance, he did not send the names of the caretaker committee members to the Assembly for screening and confirmation.

“The governor’s attempt to conduct LG elections was only after the Supreme Court’s judgement on local Government autonomy. This made the purported elections run foul of all known democratic regulations. We can go on and on, but our attempt is not to expose him further for his fictitious claims”.

RIPCO in the letter insisted that Okaba’s statement was done in bad faith and mentioned instances, in which Okaba betrayed his office and the principles of justice and fairness

The letter said: “The Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress, foreseeing the potential for the political situation to deteriorate, took proactive steps to address the issue. On the 4th of June 2024, RIPCO sent a

delegation of 200 Ijaw sons and daughters, led by Senator Chief George Thompson Sekibo CON, to the INC headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

” This delegation met with the INC Executive, including President Benjamin Okaba, to discuss the deepening political crisis in Rivers State. RIPCO called for the INC’s intervention, as the

crisis had begun to divide the Ijaw people in Rivers State, with factions loyal to either Governor Fubara or Barrister Wike.

“We cautioned that if the INC took sides, it could lead to open conflict within the Ijaw community, reminding the leadership that not all Ijaw people could be expected to align with a single political party or faction within a political party.

“RIPCO also observed that inflammatory comments from Ijaw leaders outside of Rivers State have intensified the tensions rather than contributing to a peaceful resolution.

“We urged the INC to intervene and broker peace between Governor Fubara and Barrister Wike to prevent further political division among the Ijaw people in Rivers State.

“INC’s Initial Commitment to Peace In response to these concerns, the INC Executive, led by President Okaba, acknowledged the need for intervention. The INC leadership thanked the RIPCO delegation for their efforts to promote peace and committed to undertaking a peace mission in Rivers State.

” Professor Okaba personally promised to lead an INC delegation to meet with all factions involved at a round table and primarily bring all Ijaw sons and daughters together”.

The group said on June 13, 2024, the INC President fulfilled part of his commitment by visiting Rivers State, where he met with Ijaw factions loyal to Governor Fubara and those loyal to Barrister Wike, including RIPCO leadership, but the group said it doubted the sincerity of the gesture because Okaba came alone without members of his executive.

On their agreements, RIPCO said: “Okaba solicited that the RIPCO members maintain peace in Rivers State, even in the face of adversity.

“The INC President promised to lead a group of respected Ijaw statesmen to foster peace in Rivers State and address the crisis on two fronts. He would engage the Ijaw factions in Rivers State to unite the community. He would then initiate a roundtable discussion between Governor Fubara and Barrister Wike.

“All these efforts were expected to conclude before the end of July 2024.

Having reached these commendable agreements, the leadership of the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress is still waiting for Professor Okaba, the INC President, to follow through on his promise to convene the two crucial meetings aimed at securing peace between the two main Ijaw factions and between Governor Fubara and Bar Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister”.

Rivers Ijaw people said having failed to fulfil his promise of intervening in the matter, Okaba lacked the moral standing to pass judgement on the matter.

RIPCO said: “Okaba’s premature condemnation of one party and open support of another undermine the principles of justice and fairness that the Ijaw people have always upheld.

“It is a murder of justice on the altar of ethnicity. It is stated that ‘he who comes to equity must come with clean hands’. Professor Okaba cannot adjudicate on a sensitive matter, such as this, because his hands are no longer clean.

“Therefore, we received the INC President Professor Okaba’s recent press release with great surprise and disappointment. Rather than advancing the peace process that he had previously committed to lead, the INC President has instead issued a public statement that not only condemns Barrister Wike but also places sole blame on him for the tensions in Rivers State. At the same time, Professor Okaba praises Governor Fubara as the leader pursuing a path of peace.

“This selective and inflammatory rhetoric starkly contrasts his earlier pledge to maintain neutrality and facilitate reconciliation. His actions appear to undermine the very principles of fairness and diplomacy that are critical for resolving the crisis.

“We believe that Professor Okaba, having failed to act as he initially promised, no longer holds the moral authority to pass judgment on this sensitive issue— particularly while the matter is still pending adjudication in his court.

“By prematurely condemning one party while openly supporting another, he compromises the core values of justice and impartiality that the Ijaw people have always championed.

“His behaviour represents a grave miscarriage of justice, where ethnic bias takes precedence over

fairness. As the saying goes, ‘he who comes to equity must come with clean hands,’ and it is clear that Professor Okaba’s hands are no longer clean. This raises serious concerns about his ability to lead a complex race, such as the Ijaw ethnic nationality, with the impartiality and integrity it demands”.

RIPCO insisted on its call for for fairness and unity in confronting the crisis rocking Rivers saying  Ijaw people had long been known for their impartiality and commitment to fairness in handling disputes, regardless of the individuals involved.

“In this spirit of justice, we, the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress, reject Professor Okaba’s one-sided narrative and condemn his divisive actions, which can set the Ijaws in Rivers State against themselves. His behaviour suggests that he is not interested in resolving the crisis but rather in deepening it for reasons best known to him.

*We expect Professor Okaba, though not of Rivers State, and the INC leadership to guide themselves as statesmen in their conduct and utterances to uphold the unity, peace, and cohesiveness of the Ijaw people wherever they are found, particularly in Rivers State.

” We urge all stakeholders to disregard Professor Okaba, the INC President’s baseless claims and act in the best interests of Rivers State and the broader Ijaw community in Rivers State, putting aside personal and political differences for lasting peace.

“Finally, our brother, the INC president, has only murdered justice based on ethnicity, which amounts to a chilling betrayal of fairness”.