A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, has warned the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to desist from politicising the reconciliation affairs in the state.
Speaking via a statement, Eradiri claimed that Fubara is not sincerely showing the willingness and commitment to genuine reconciliation.
He berated the embattled governor for failing to facilitate the reconciliation process after his first meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Eradiri, who was also a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa, said he was disturbed and shocked at the development.
He said, “I was disturbed, shocked and surprised to hear that the suspended Governor Fubara has yet to hold reconciliatory meetings with some critical stakeholders such as the Speaker and members of the suspended House of Assembly, aggrieved Rivers elders and those local government chairmen, who were in the same political family with him.
“The recent media chat of Chief Wike is instructive and revealing especially where he said that Governor Fubara was doing reconciliation on television and radio. This for me is a low mark and does not sit well with the required antidote to resolve the crisis and return democracy to Rivers.”
Eradiri advised Fubara to show leadership by owning the reconciliation process and avoid showmanship that could truncate the Rivers peace process.
He added, “Suddenly, those who called themselves Fubara’s have resumed their singing and dancing and shows where the make remarks and cast innuendos inimical to any peace process.
“Fubara must discourage his supporters from engaging in similar political showbiz and busybody that worsened the crisis in Rivers”.
The former IYC President said Fubara should consider engaging with governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party to withdraw the case they instituted at the Supreme Court on emergency rule against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, “This is where I think by now the reconciliation should progressed to. There is nothing the President can do on this matter because that case at the Supreme Court has tied his hands.
“The matter is subjudice and Fubara is expected to reach out to the governors to withdraw the matter as part of the reconciliation process.
“Governor Fubara should also know that if he is reinstated without genuine reconciliation, the bad blood will continue and may lead to his impeachment.
“Lack of reconciliation will only return the state to a violent part and make nonsense of the emergency rule instituted to save him from impeachment.”