- Lashes Sekibo over Comments on Rivers Politics
By Abiola Olawale
Elderstatesman, former Federal Commissioner for Information, and a prominent South-South leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, has detailed the role played by former President Goodluck Jonathan in endorsing Nyesom Wike’s candidacy for the Governorship of Rivers State in 2015.
Clark, the national leader of the Ijaws highlighted that despite the belief that it was the Ijaw people’s turn in the build-up to the 2015 governorship election, Jonathan threw his support behind Wike, a development that made it possible for Wike, an Ikwerre to become governor of the State.
This is as the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) cautioned Senator George Sekibo, the Senator who represents Rivers East Senatorial district of Rivers state at the Senate, for making unfounded statements on Rivers politics.
It would be recalled that Sekibo who said he was speaking on behalf of the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress, RIPCO, had declared his support for the incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Wike saying the latter has demonstrated his love for the Ijaw nation contrary to claims in some quarters arising from the political crisis rocking Rivers State.
However, in a letter addressed to Sekibo, dated June 9, 2024, Clark accused Wike of being fair to the Ijaw people.
He added that it was Wike who benefitted from the support of the Ijaw people during a time when they were expected to produce the Governor of Rivers State.
According to the elder statesman, aside from God, the biggest players who supported Wike to rise to his political level today, were the Ijaws, including himself.
Clark noted that despite the fact the decision by Jonathan to support Wike came as a rude shock to the Ijaw people in Rivers State, they chose to demonstrate restraint and extend their support to Wike’s candidacy out of respect for Jonathan and his wife.
Clark said: “My dear son, the Ijaw have made sacrifices for the survival of, and growth of all tribes in Rivers State, including Nyesom Wike, without expecting the beneficiaries of such Ijaw kind gestures to be excessively sublime towards them, or expect them to lay on the ground for Ijaw to step on them.“Nyesom Wike knows, that aside from God, the biggest players who have supported him to rise to his political level today, are the Ijaw, including myself. I am sure he knows the roles I have played in his political ascendency.
“There is, therefore, no need to be apologetic to Nyesom Wike, when there is no offence. In the course of the Ijaw fighting for people of all tribes, it was almost a daily occurrence with all the political actors seeing ourselves as one,” he stated. As a result of his activities and roles in Rivers State affairs, fighting for equity, justice and fair play, Clark stated that former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and himself had a close relationship.
“Immediately after he was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State in his first tenure, Clark stated that Amaechi came to his country home to visit in appreciation.“As Amaechi’s government came to an end in 2015 after eight years, the Rivers Ijaw again insisted that it was their turn to take over governance in Rivers state and this time, the consensus was general among the people.
“All Ijaw people under the leadership of four times minister, Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas insisted for an Ijaw man to take the lead. This was only fair and just and so many Ijaw sons and daughters with all manners of qualifications presented themselves. Almost all of them had held top positions, both at the state and federal levels.“None doubted the fact that it was the turn of an Ijaw man. Therefore, when the then First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, sent Nyesom Wike to me to inform me of his ambition and solicit my support, I did not give it because I felt it was against the laws of fairness and natural justice.
“I insisted that it was unfair and unsellable for another upland person to be governor again, immediately after three upland persons in succession.
“However, Nyesom Wike was supported by the then President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife. Although this was a shock to the entire Ijaw people in Rivers State and all the other states, for the sake of peace, we supported Wike to contest the election,” he stressed.
“He said the 2015 election was particularly tough due to the emergence of the All Progressives (APC) in Nigeria and Rivers State as a strong force. At that time, he said Amaechi had moved from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC and presented Dakuku Peterside, a prominent Ijaw son to contest the election.
“This notwithstanding, we abandoned our son, Dakuku and supported Wike. In his fundamental right to choose 2023, Wike preferred to support Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of the State.
“Let me state that if he did not bring an Ijaw son as Governor, PDP would have lost woefully in Rivers State and an Ijaw son from any of the other political parties would have still won.
“It was therefore in his self-interest that he brought Fubara. Nobody can say that the emergence was overdue and taken for granted already. I am therefore at a loss when I listened to your narrative regarding the unimaginable extent to which Wike has helped the Ijaw people.
“On the contrary, perhaps unknown to you, Wike has been the number one beneficiary of the goodwill of the Ijaw people,” the elder statesman maintained.
“Throughout his political life, he stated that Wike had benefited from the help of the Ijaw, stressing that it is why his disagreement with Fubara whom he had picked over and above all other Ijaw sons and daughters, is quite sad and disturbing.”
