By Ayomide Otitoju
A prominent Ijaw leader in Rivers State, David Briggs, has demanded an unreserved apology from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over remarks he made against the Ijaw ethnic group during a recent media chat.
Briggs, a former Commissioner for Works under Governor Peter Odili and the current Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, issued the demand during a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday night.
Describing Wike as ungrateful to the Ijaw people, Briggs asserted that the minister’s political rise would not have been possible without their support.
“Without Ijaw, Wike is nothing. And he cannot bite the finger that fed him,” he declared.
Briggs credited Ijaw leader Sam Sam Jaja, a former National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with rescuing Wike’s political career at a critical moment. He argued that Wike’s endorsement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara was merely a belated acknowledgment of the goodwill extended to him by Jaja and the Ijaw people.
Criticism of Tinubu’s Stance
Briggs also expressed disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s recent intervention in the Rivers political crisis, accusing him of siding with Wike’s disruptive politics.
“The exact words of the Supreme Court judges were the same as what the President said during a meeting where he intervened in the crisis,” he noted.
He accused both Tinubu and Wike of having an “insatiable need for power” and claimed the President employs “divide-and-rule tactics,” reminiscent of his tenure as Lagos State Governor.
Warning to Wike and Rivers Assembly
Briggs alleged that Wike thrives on political instability and would not allow peace between the Rivers State Assembly and Governor Fubara.
“He cannot survive where there is peace. Wike will not allow the Assembly and the Governor to achieve peace,” he said, further predicting that “one day, Wike will turn against the President himself.”
Addressing the Wike-backed State Assembly’s call for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Briggs warned lawmakers to tread carefully.
“He who lives in glass houses should not throw stones,” he cautioned.
The political tensions in Rivers State continue to escalate, with key stakeholders drawing battle lines over the state’s governance and power dynamics.
