Sparking Massive Protests in PH: Rivers Groups Reject Wike and Fubara Peace Agreement
The people of the State have threatened to shut down all business activities in the state if the terms were not reversed.The crowd which commenced a protest that threatened to ground the State, premised their action on alleged imposition of the terms of agreement on Fubara over the political crisis in the state.
Also yesterday, six elders from Rivers State dragged Tinubu to the Federal High Court in Abuja, for allegedly compelling Fubara to enter into what they termed an unconstitutional agreement . This was just as Fubara assured civil servants in the State of more incentives that would better their lives.
However, pensioners in the State have reached out to the embattled governor begging him to include them in the N100,000 he promised to pay civil servants in the state this Christmas, pointing out that food inflation ravaging the country was also having a telling effect on the people.
Apparently making good their threats, the protesters in their thousands yesterday, occupied the major streets of Port Harcourt, on a solidarity walk in support of Fubara.
Prominent among groups in the joint protest included the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN); Rivers State Chapter, Greater Wakirike Movement; National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), Worldwide, National Association of Nigeria Students (NAN), ljaw Youth Council (IYC), Rivers Youth Federation (RYC), Ijaw Young Professionals Association and the Andoni Youth Federation.Others were Ogoni Youth Federation, Niger Delta Activist Forum, United Community Development Committee (UDCD), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rivers State Chapter, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rivers State Chapter, and Muslim Community in Rivers State, Concerned Lawyers, Concerned Doctors and others.
Speaking during the peaceful walk which terminated at the Government House, Port Harcourt, the IYC Chairman in the State, Tamunotonye Kpokpo, condemned the purported agreement initiated by Tinubu.
He said the Ijaws would resist any plan to undermine FubaraThe President General of Ogoni Youth Federation, Legborsi Yamabana said the agreement was not acceptable. He also said any attempt to return any of the outgone Commissioners would be resisted.
In their position signed during a joint press conference ahead of the solidarity walk yesterday, the coalition insisted that the eight-point resolution by the President was a sham and embarrassment to Nigeria, arguing that it poses fundamental threats to the nation’s democracy, if it’s allowed.
The group said the purported terms clearly revealed an alleged perfected plan to enslave Rivers people and bring the state under tyrannical control of one manThey maintained that the Rivers State cannot become the estate of any individual and therefore, urged all indigenes and residents to be ready for long drawn, non-violent protest rallies in the state.
