The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has issued a stark warning against impeaching Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, cautioning that such a move could destabilize the Niger Delta. The group also denounced a recent Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers crisis, claiming it risks sparking widespread unrest in the oil-rich region.
In a statement, INC President Benjamin Okaba condemned the court’s decision, which upheld a federal high court ruling barring the Central Bank of Nigeria and the accountant-general from releasing statutory allocations to Rivers State. The Supreme Court also directed the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly—aligned with former governor Nyesom Wike—to resume sitting and nullified the state’s recent local government elections. Okaba warned, “If Governor Fubara’s tenure is cut short by the Amaewhule-led Assembly or anyone else, the INC cannot guarantee peace in the Niger Delta or sustained oil production.”
The INC stressed that the ruling overlooks the historical and political sacrifices of the Ijaw people in Rivers State. Okaba vowed that the Ijaw would defend Fubara “with every pint of blood in their veins,” accusing the government of using the region’s oil wealth to marginalize them despite their efforts to maintain stability and boost national revenue.
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The group urged President Bola Tinubu to treat the Rivers crisis as a serious threat, not mere political maneuvering, given its potential to disrupt the Niger Delta’s peace and Nigeria’s oil output.
