The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has cautioned that any move to impeach Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara could trigger severe economic repercussions for Nigeria.
This statement follows the blockade of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, preventing Governor Fubara from presenting the 2025 budget as ordered by the Supreme Court.
INC also condemned the actions of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, stating that he cannot drag the Ikwerre and Ijaw ethnic groups into a tribal war through his comments and political maneuvers.
Reacting to the political crisis on Wednesday, INC President Professor Benjamin Okaba said the lawmakers’ actions prove they are not interested in peace or the welfare of Rivers people but are instead serving Wike’s personal agenda.
“These lawmakers are acting this way because Wike personally financed their election. He handpicked them, and he said so publicly. That is why I am not surprised by their behavior.”
Professor Okaba criticized the blockade of the Assembly Complex, emphasizing that Fubara’s decision to comply with the Supreme Court ruling should not be mistaken for weakness.
“Some people say Sim Fubara is weak, but he is only respecting the rule of law. He assured the President that he would implement the Supreme Court’s judgment, so why should the lawmakers block him from entering the Assembly?”
The INC President also pointed out the lawmakers’ contradictory actions: “These same lawmakers gave the Governor 48-hour and 72-hour ultimatums to present the budget. They also demanded that he sack 19 Commissioners. If he sacks the Commissioners, including the Commissioner for Finance, who then prepares the budget?”
Professor Okaba warned that any forceful or malicious impeachment of Fubara would be met with strong resistance.
“If they go ahead and impeach Sim Fubara recklessly, we will resist it. The consequences will be too heavy for the entire country to bear. This is not a threat—it is a reality.”
Addressing Wike’s recent statements about the Ijaw nation, Okaba dismissed them as provocative but ineffective in creating ethnic tensions.
“Ikwerre and Ijaw will never go to war because of Wike. The Ikwerre people have already apologized to the Ijaw nation for Wike’s behavior toward Fubara.”
He added: “If the President of Ogbakor Ikwerre, my contemporary, had spoken, I would have responded differently. But since it is Wike, I will not dignify him with a reply. Ikwerre is not at war with Ijaw—Wike is simply at war with himself.”
The INC’s statement reinforces growing tensions in Rivers State and the need for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis.
