PORT HARCOURT — Former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has said the political crisis that erupted between former Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was fundamentally a political dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should not have been portrayed as an ethnic conflict involving the Ijaw people.
Eradiri made the clarification in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, maintaining that he had expressed the same position during the height of the crisis but was criticised by some Ijaw leaders who, according to him, attempted to use the disagreement to advance their political interests.
He said the prolonged dispute created divisions within the state and among political stakeholders, adding that some of the consequences of the crisis could take considerable time to repair.
“I appreciate Governor Fubara for going back to his political family. We warned, but they did not listen, and a lot of things happened that will be difficult to reverse,” Eradiri said.
According to him, attempts by some individuals to give the crisis an ethnic dimension were politically motivated.
“Some people wanted to score political points by trying to ethnicise the political crisis. The Rivers State crisis was a PDP crisis. It had nothing to do with ethnicity,” he stated.
Fubara’s Emergence Was Not an Ijaw Collective Decision
Eradiri also challenged the argument that Fubara’s emergence as governor was the outcome of a collective decision by the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
He recalled that Wike, who was Rivers State governor at the time, did not consult the wider Ijaw community before selecting Fubara as his preferred successor.
“When Wike wanted to choose Sir Siminalayi Fubara as the governor, he did not call Ijaw people for a meeting. If he had called a meeting of the Ijaw ethnic nationality and announced his decision to make an Ijaw governor, I am sure Fubara would not have been the Ijaw choice,” he said.
Eradiri argued that if the Ijaw people had been formally consulted, they would have collectively considered and selected a candidate based on their own assessment.
“Ijaw people would have gathered to make a collective choice. Nobody knew Fubara in the political arena,” he added.
Wike Is Not an Enemy of the Ijaw, Eradiri Says
The former IYC president further rejected the description of Wike as an opponent of the Ijaw people, recalling the minister’s support for the Ijaw community during the period after former President Goodluck Jonathan left office.
He said Wike remained supportive of the Ijaw community at a time when members of the ethnic group faced political pressure following the end of Jonathan’s administration.
“When President Goodluck Jonathan left power and there was heat, Wike was the one who stood solidly behind and supported the Ijaw people. And all of a sudden the same man was tagged an enemy of Ijaw people. I said no,” Eradiri stated.
He also argued that the appointment of some Niger Delta indigenes into positions within the current administration showed that Wike had continued to play a role in advancing the interests of people from the region.
“When you look at some of the benefits the Ijaw has had in this administration, all the appointees in Abuja came through Wike and all of a sudden Wike has become an enemy of the Ijaw. How?” he asked.
Fubara Made a Mistake by Confronting Wike — Eradiri
Eradiri, however, faulted Fubara for escalating his disagreement with Wike shortly after assuming office as governor.
He said Wike played a major role in Fubara’s political progression and therefore ought to have been better positioned to understand the political dynamics surrounding their relationship.
“Fubara should be faulted because Wike picked him from the NYSC level till where he is today. So, nobody should know Wike more than Fubara. For him to have started striking within one year of assuming office, it means he was playing with fire,” he said.
Eradiri’s comments came against the backdrop of the prolonged political disagreement between Fubara and Wike, which produced significant political tensions in Rivers State and divided political actors and supporters into opposing camps.
Eradiri Urges Ijaw Stakeholders to Support Major Jack
Looking ahead to the 2027 Rivers State governorship election, Eradiri called on Ijaw stakeholders to support Major Jack, whom he said had reportedly emerged as the coalition’s Ijaw running mate.
He urged Ijaw leaders and stakeholders to rally behind the candidate and use the opportunity to rebuild political unity within the ethnic nationality.
“I was told that an Ijaw man, Major Jack, has been chosen as a running mate for the coalition governorship candidate and what we need to do is to rally round Major Jack to lead the front,” he said.
According to him, Rivers State currently needs an Ijaw political leader capable of bringing different interests together and reducing the political tension that has affected the state.
“We need an Ijaw political leader in Rivers now. And if Major Jack becomes the deputy governor in Rivers, he should become the rallying point for the people. He should start reaching out to douse the tension,” Eradiri said.
Ijaw Leaders Should Consider Other Options
Eradiri, however, said Ijaw stakeholders should not restrict themselves to one political platform if they believed another candidate could provide a stronger political alternative.
He specifically mentioned the possibility of supporting other political candidates, including Lulu-Briggs, whom he described as someone who had remained consistent in contesting elections.
“But if Ijaw leaders believe that we have the capacity, we have other parties and there is a consistent Lulu-Briggs who has been contesting. They should rally round him and back him so that we can have a contest,” he said.
He maintained that the priority should be for Ijaw stakeholders to make strategic political decisions based on the interests of their people rather than allow ethnic sentiments to be used to deepen political divisions.
Newday Reporters
