In a surprising turn of events, Chief Edwin Clark, a prominent leader of the Ijaw community, has vehemently criticized the peace arrangement orchestrated by President Bola Tinubu between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesome Wike. Clark described the agreement as “appalling” and expressed strong disapproval on behalf of the Ijaw people.
The peace talks, initiated by Tinubu during a meeting in Abuja on Monday night, aimed to reconcile the political differences between Governor Fubara and his political godson, FCT Minister Wike. Present at the meeting were President Tinubu, Governor Wike, Deputy Governor Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili.
During the gathering, Fubara and Wike signed an eight-point agreement to resolve the political turmoil in Rivers State. However, Chief Edwin Clark, in a subsequent press conference in Abuja, asserted that the Ijaw nation would not accept any deal that diminishes Fubara’s status to a mere servant of Wike. He emphasized the Ijaw people’s readiness to face the consequences of the ongoing situation and stated that they would pursue legal action to oppose any attempt to subordinate Fubara, a democratically elected Governor, to Wike’s political influence.
Clark voiced his concerns, stating, “It is obvious that Governor Siminialayi Fubara was ambushed and intimidated into submission. President Tinubu should know that with all the powers he possesses, he cannot override the Constitution.” He criticized the resolutions reached at the meeting as unconstitutional, absurd, and obnoxious.
Appealing to Governor Fubara to stand firm, Clark highlighted that the President has no authority over him, asserting, “The president was elected, he too was elected.”
In response to President Tinubu’s intervention, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee rejected the peace deal, informing the defectors that they could only re-enter the Assembly through new elections. Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, during a press conference following an emergency NWC meeting on Tuesday, cautioned the defectors against being misled by promises of a return to the House of Assembly without new elections. He reiterated the party’s stance that there was no reprieve for the defectors under Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution and urged them to seek new nomination and re-election to regain their positions.