Pa Edwin Clark rejects Tinubi's imposed truce between Wike, Fubara

Rivers State has been gripped by political chaos, with the state House of Assembly turning into a battleground.

The leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Pa Edwin Clark, has rejected the truce brokered between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, terming it an "imposed settlement."

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, the elder statesman expressed his dismay, labeling the communique issued at the reconciliatory meeting as "baffling, appalling, and unacceptable," particularly to the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

The political turmoil in Rivers State, which has unfolded over the past three months, reached a climax on Monday, December 18, 2023, when President Tinubu met with key stakeholders, including Wike and Fubara, at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

Rivers State has been gripped by political chaos, with the state House of Assembly turning into a battleground.

The feud between Wike and Fubara led to 27 lawmakers defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), where Wike currently serves as a minister.

The rift saw parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and the resignation of pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.

Earlier attempts by the President and elder statesmen to mediate in October failed, resulting in an escalation of the crisis.

Following Monday’s meeting, both factions agreed to withdraw all court cases initiated by Fubara and drop impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly. The resolution recognised Martin Amaewhule as the leader of the House, dismissing the claim of Edison Ehie.

Reacting to the truce, Pa Edwin Clark condemned the terms of settlement, accusing President Tinubu of acting as a mediator to express gratitude to Minister Wike for delivering Rivers State during past Presidential elections.

Clark criticised the resolutions as "unconstitutional, absurd, and obnoxious," alleging that Fubara was "ambushed and intimidated into submission." He warned that they would challenge the settlement in court, appealing to aggrieved youths to remain calm and resist oppression through legal means.

"President Tinubu simply sat over a meeting where the Constitution, which is the fulcrum of his office, was truncated and desecrated," Clark asserted, signaling a determination to pursue legal avenues to address what he referred to as a "hydra-headed monster, called oppression."