Kalabari, Ogoni, and Ijaw ethnic groups want their own state carved out of the existing Rivers, to assuage their “marginalisation” in the governorship primaries of both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
They feel “shortchanged” by the APC and “angered” by the PDP for disregarding the riverine/upland senatorial power sharing formula that ensures equity in Rivers.
Over 10 PDP governorship aspirants had insisted on power shift to the riverine area which has been out of power orbit since 1999, starting from former Governors Peter Odili and Celestine Omehia to incumbent Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Agitation for the new state, to be called Rivers-Ijaw State, was tabled on Thursday, January 8 by Kalabari-Ijaw indigenes, led by Broadfield Michael-Jack, at a press conference at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
The group rejected Nyesom Wike’s pick as PDP governorship candidate.
Pay back after 27 years
Ironically, the move for a new Rivers State comes 27 years after Kalabari-Ijaw and other riverine indigenes torpedoed the quest for Port Harcourt State by the Ikwerre and other upland indigenes before the creation of Bayelsa State from Rivers.
With the creation of Bayelsa on October 1, 1996 by the Sanni Abacha regime, the remnant Kalabari-Ijaw people and their cousins in Rivers became a minority, hence the current agitation for power balance.
Michael-Jack and his group expressed disappointment that ”the outstanding contributions of the sons and daughters of Kalabari-Ijaw to the growth and development of Rivers State in the civil service, judiciary, the academia and business, prior to and since its creation,” has not been matched with political recognition.
Support for other ethnic groups
They claimed that Kalabari-Ijaw leaders have encouraged other ethnic groups to realise their potential, which led to the emergence of Odili from the Ndoni ethnic group in 1999 and the Ikwerre ethnic group producing Omehia and Amaechi.
The group expressed sadness that the initiative spearheaded by the Kalabari-Ijaw to produce these governors has been ambushed by ”a greedy political cartel which is hell bent on destroying the over a decade of old power-sharing formula which is the basis of sustainable peace and inter-ethnic harmony in Rivers State.”
Jonathan urged to intervene
It expressed displeasure with President Goodluck Jonathan, “a Rivers man before Bayelsa was created and who should understand the innermost political working in Rivers Sate” for keeping silent and watching the “deteriorating political situation” in Rivers.
“We expected that Mr President, as an Ijaw son, should have taken timely decision to protect the legitimate rights of Rivers-Ijaw but rather [he] chose to act in the same manner as he did concerning the Kalabari oil field.
”As it stands, the Kalabari-Ijaw of Rivers State have strong reasons to lose faith in Rivers State as currently constituted and begin a fervent quest for emancipation that must lead to the creation of a homogenous Rivers-Ijaw State in which our people can aspire to and achieve self-actualisation.”
Backing for Peterside as governorship candidate
The group chose Dakuku Peterside as APC governorship candidate as a temporary solution to the “institutionalisation of political hegemony by Ikwerre domination” and disregard for the appeal for power shift to Kalabari-Ijaw.
The agitators said they back Peterside but will remain in the PDP because it is too late for them to defect to the APC.
