Udengs Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC.Worldwide, has voiced unhappiness with what he sees as the politicisation of the reconciliation needed to restore democratic administration in Rivers State.
Eradiri admonished the suspended Rivers Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for failing to demonstrate the necessary readiness and commitment to true reconciliation.
In a statement issued in Yenagoa, Eradiri, a Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), expressed concern that Fubara had not deepened the reconciliation process following his initial meeting with his estranged godfather and FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike.
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 once 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, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa State, asked Fubara to sit up, demonstrate leadership by owning the reconciliation effort, and avoid the optics of showmanship that could jeopardise the Rivers Peace effort.
He grieved that people who identified as Fubaras had restarted their singing, dancing, and performances in which they made remarks and cast innuendos that were detrimental to any peace process. Fubara must prevent his supporters from engaging in the same political theatre and busybodyism that has exacerbated the crisis in Rivers State.
Eradiri said Fubara should consider negotiating with governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform to withdraw the emergency rule petition they filed in the Supreme Court against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This is where I think by now the reconciliation should have 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 sub judice, 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,” he added.
