Samuel Marshall
The Eastern Zone of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have expressed strong displeasure with the new actions and policies orchestrated by the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, highlighting growing discontent among members of the Ijaw community.
This ongoing situation has sparked dialogue and mobilisation within the community, as leaders and activists from both organisations held a press conference on Thursday 8th January 2026, to voice concerns and grievances about a perceived disparaging attitude towards the Ijaw, which they feel has been perpetuated by Wike during his political leadership, and ongoing campaign tours which he has started sooner than expected. The tension emanating from these groups, vented by various aggressive speakers, serves as a call to action for other members of the Ijaw populace to engage and rally around their collective cause.
Their statement reads: “The groups have observed with growing concern the increasingly confrontational posture adopted by the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, towards the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara. The escalation of political tension occasioned by this conduct poses a significant threat to public peace, democratic order, and the stability of Rivers State.”
The statement goes on: “The peace accord brokered by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, 26 June, 2025, between former Governor Wike and Governor Fubara, was widely welcomed as a necessary step towards reconciling warring factions and restoring harmony in the state. Regrettably, subsequent statements and activities attributed to Minister Wike have had the opposite effect, undermining the spirit and objectives of that agreement and reintroducing uncertainty into the political environment.”
Furthermore, it states: “Rather than allowing the post-agreement phase to consolidate, the Minister has chosen a path defined by hostility, public provocations, and political interference. His utterances portraying himself as the ultimate arbiter of political succession in Rivers State, and his insistence on dictating who may or may not contest future elections, are deeply inconsistent with democratic norms and are an affront to the sovereign will of the electorate.
Particularly disturbing are reported demands that the Governor dismiss senior officials – including the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, and the Chief of Staff, Hon. Edison Ehie – and reinstate specific traditional leadership appointments. Such demands constitute an unwarranted encroachment on the constitutional powers of a sitting Governor and represent an attempt to personalise and monopolise the governance trajectory of Rivers State.”
The groups condemned recent attempts by another group, parading itself as the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress Forum (RIPCOF), to speak on behalf of the Ijaw nation as misleading, stressing that this must be clearly repudiated, and emphasising that the recognised and legitimate voice of the Ijaw people remains the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and its youth wing, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC). “Any contrary claims are without basis and do not reflect the interests, mandate, or aspirations of the Ijaw nation, particularly in Rivers State, where the Ijaw people have endured decades of political marginalisation,” the statement reads.
“We also find the Minister’s public reprimand of two revered traditional rulers regarding their probable interest in political matters to be unduly overbearing and disrespectful to the institution of traditional authority, which must remain insulated from intimidation and partisan control.”
“The Ijaw National Congress and the Ijaw Youth Council hereby affirm that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, as a bona fide Rivers citizen, retains the unrestricted right to contest any future election, including the 2027 governorship race, without coercion, intimidation, or political preconditions. No individual may arrogate to himself the power to determine the political destiny of Rivers State.”
“We therefore call on Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike to immediately de-escalate hostilities, cease all acts and statements capable of destabilising Rivers State, and allow the peace accord facilitated by President Tinubu to take root in the interest of governance, democracy, and public order.”
The joint groups gave warning of visiting other key establishments such as the United Nations headquarters and the American embassy to present these assertions.
Meanwhile, on the very same day, as the INC and IYC representatives addressed the media, contrary to their hopes, a long-standing, off-and-on impeachment effort to oust Governor Fubara regained traction and passed its first reading at the State House of Assembly, a chamber wholly aligned with Wike, further complicating the political landscape.
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