From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Ijaw youths across the Niger Delta states have issued a warning against the continued political harassment by certain political actors against Rivers State Governor, Amaopusenibo Siminalayi Fubara.
The National Director of Mobilisation of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Ari Fekorigha in a statement titled “Ijaw Youths Are Behind Governor Sim Fubara” stated that Ijaw youths are worried that some lawmakers want to plunge Rivers State into chaos by forcefully removing Fubara as Governor over trump- up charges.
According to him, Ijaw Youths would not allow political actors that do not mean for Rivers State and its people to truncate the peace that has been existing in the state and which Governor Fubara has sustained for the past five months.
Fekorigha called on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike to hands off from the plot to remove Governor Fubara as such action would trigger dire consequences for Rivers State and the Niger Delta region.
While condemning in very strong terms the actions of some Policemen that shot directly at Governor Sim Fubara, he urged the Inspector- General of Police, Mr Kayode Egebetokun to swiftly investigate the incident and bring to book all the Police personnel involved in such a dastardly act.
His statement read in part “We woke up Monday morning to stories of a section of the Rivers State House of Assembly destroyed by explosion and plot by some lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara over yet undisclosed reasons. Not only that, Governor Fubara who had come to the House of Assembly for on-the-spot assessment of the extent of damage was shot at by men of the Nigeria Police Force. This is despicable and unacceptable. We demand an immediate investigation by the IGP and all those found culpable must be brought to book.
“While we are aware of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution which deals with the removal of a governor, we are surprised that Governor Fubara who has barely spent five months in office has not been accused of infractions that would warrant his impeachment.
“We condemned in its entirety the political shenanigans going on in Rivers State and we call on those plotting to throw Rivers State into crisis to desist from such shameful action if they do not want to incur the wrath of Ijaw Youths.
“Let it be known that any illegal action against Governor Fubara will be resisted. We want to put Nigerians on notice that the Ijaw Youths would mobilise with all the resources at our disposal against those harassing Governor Fubara.
“Governor Fubara is an Ijaw son and we want to state unequivocally that Ijaw Youths henceforth would not tolerate any form of political rascality aimed at frustrating the smooth running of government by Governor Sim Fubara. Enough is enough! “