The new leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Eastern Zone has condemned the civic reception organized by a group known as Rivers Ijaw Peoples Congress for the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Comrade Prince Datolu Sukubo and Comrade Tamunokuro Dango, Chairman and Secretary respectively, IYC Eastern Zone, they dissociated the Ijaw ethnic nationality from the said reception, and described the organizers as desperate politicians.
“The IYC Eastern Zone completely dissociate the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality from a civic reception organized by some desperate politicians under the guise of Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress in honour of the former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike in Port-Harcourt on Saturday 28th September, 2024.
“The occasion being held at a period of mourning in Ijaw land over the unfortunate deaths of some innocent persons during the recent IYC Eastern Zone Election in Abuloma is ill-timed, ill-conceived and unsympathetic.
“More heartless and insensitive is the decision to hold the so-called civic reception within the Amadi-Ama axis of Port-Harcourt close to Abuloma where the unfortunate incident occurred.
“We view this charade as a callous disregard for the loss of lives which is akin to dancing on the graves of the dead”, the statement reads in part.
The IYC described the reception as a “gathering of strange bedfellows, frustrated politicians, conspirators, evil schemers and haters of the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS who is an Ijaw son”, adding that their intention was to heighten political tension in the State and further destabilize the State to advance their evil plot against the Governor ahead of 2027.
“The so-called Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress created by some disgruntled politicians and loyalists of the FCT Minister is a political pressure group contrary to claim that it is a socio-cultural group under the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality.
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“The sole purpose of creating the group under the guise of Ijaw people in Rivers State is to massage the ego of the FCT Minister and advance his inordinate quest of godfatherism which is alien in Rivers politics”, the IYC maintained.
The IYC which used the occasion to convey their condolences to the families of the victims and Abuloma Kingdom over the avoidable deaths, said it was in agreement with with the recent comment credited to the King of Abuloma HRH, Brig. Gen. King Bright Ateke Fiboinumama (rtd), (Obe-Omumu-Odo), who attributed the incident to infiltration of the peaceful IYC election by rival groups to unleash mayhem in the area.
*We commend the Abuloma King for stating the obvious about what transpired during the IYC election not minding whose ox is gored.
“We also applaud the immediate steps taking by our parent body the Ijaw National Congress, INC and other leaders of thought of the Ijaw Nation to investigate the violence and killings that occurred during the IYC Eastern Zone election with a view to prevent reoccurrence and redeem the image of the Ijaw Nation.
“The new leadership of IYC Eastern Zone would give the INC all necessary support in investigating the violence and killings with a view to unraveling the truth, unmasking those responsible and bringing them to book”, the statement stressed.
