The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to replace 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who are aligned with Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Action People’s Party (APP) had filed the suit, accusing the lawmakers of defecting from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Delivering the judgment, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the case on several grounds. First, he ruled that the suit was statute-barred, noting that it was filed eight months after the alleged defection took place in December of the previous year, far beyond the 14-day window allowed by law.

Furthermore, Justice Lifu declared that the suit was a clear abuse of court process, highlighting that similar cases involving the same lawmakers had already been resolved by the Federal High Court. He referenced a prior judgment by Justice James Omotosho, delivered in July, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from declaring the seats of the lawmakers vacant or conducting fresh elections to replace them.

Justice Lifu emphasized that since the previous ruling had neither been appealed nor overturned, it remains binding. He noted that revisiting the case would be akin to “judicial rascality,” as it would involve acting as an appellate court over a decision from the same court.

On these grounds, the court dismissed the suit, marking a legal victory for the 27 lawmakers and reaffirming the previous court’s decision.

***says he chose Fubara for self interest

***Wike is only loyal to himself, nobody else, irrespective of feigned allegiance

The leader of the Ijaw nation and elderstatesman Chief Edwin Clark has declared that aside from God, the biggest players who have supported Nyesom Wike to rise to his political level today, are the Ijaws, including himself.
He was reacting to a narrative regarding the unimaginable extent to which Wike has helped the Ijaw people by Senator George Sekibo leader of newly formed Ijaw Peoples Congress, when he visited the President General of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba in Yenagoa on Tuesday, 4th June 2024.
Chief Clark in an open letter addressed to Senator Sekibo, Titled ‘Need for cautioning overstating the role of Chief Nyesom Wike with regards to politics in Rivers State as it relates to the Ijaws’ said it is rather the Ijaws that made the most sacrifice for Wike’s successes.
The letter which was copied to President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume and to the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara also indicated that Wike chose Fubara for self interest.
“Let me state that if he did not bring an Ijaw son as Governor, PDP would have lost woefully in Rivers State and an Ijaw son from any of the other political parties would have still won. It was therefore in his own self interest that he brought Siminalayi Fubara. Nobody can say that the emergence was overdue and taken for granted already.
“I am sure he knows the roles I have played in his political ascendency. There is, therefore, no need to be apologetic to Barr. Nyesom Wike, when there is no offence..
He warned the followers and admirers of Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to beware as he is a man that is only loyal to himself and nobody else, irrespective of his feigned allegiance.
“My dear son, have you and your fellow members of the support for Wike induced newly formed Ijaw Peoples Congress, thought of the character of the person you want to “adopt as a son”? Let me at this juncture, with kind permission of Richard Akinola, refresh your mind on what the average Nigerian thinks of Barr. Nyesom Wike:
“Wike is only loyal to himself and nobody else, irrespective of his feigned allegiance. He may kowtow and genuflect before a political leader, as he is currently doing in Abuja but once he can no longer use you, he goes into a fit of incoherent vituperative verbal assault, denigrating his benefactors.
Almost everything that Nyesom Wike had said in public has been repudiated by him (Nyesom Wike is indeed a man of contradiction and inconsistencies). “From the PDP primaries where he vowed to support whosoever emerged as candidate, to his vow not to be minister, to his scathing excoriation of the APC which he likened to a cancerous party, everything Wike supposedly stood for have been repudiated by his fickle mindedness.”
Clark said he gradually emerged as the Ijaw leader with the new attempt to return the country to democracy in the 3rd Republic and finally in this 4th Republic, amongst others in the entire Niger Delta after the death of Pere Harold Dappa-Biriye.
“I had to work closely with Chief Dappa Biriye, Anthony Ani, Chief Tony Anenih, Dr. M.T. Mbu, Chief Donald Etiebet, Chief Melford Okilo, Chief Samuel Ogbemudia, Dr. Philip Asiodu, Sen. Fred Brume, Sen. Joseph Wayas, Sen. Rowland Owie, and many others to bring the people of the South-South together.
“From the South-South People’s Conference, (SSOPEC), we merged into the South-South People’s Assembly. I was particularly involved as it pertains to Rivers State and the political activities that led to the emergence of Sir Peter Odili as Governor.
“I particularly played a major role in ensuring that the Ijaws were ready to yield power to one who was not one of them but a very prominent son of Rivers State and had served under an Ijaw son, Chief Rufus Ada George in 1993.
“On conclusion of the government of Sir Odili, the Ijaws wanted to take power back and indeed many persons including Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Chief Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, Tonye Princewill, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs, Engr. Beks Dagogo Jack, Chief Dressman, etc, indicated interest to run for governorship of the State. Again, we prevailed on the Ijaws to allow the PDP candidate, Rotimi Amaechi.
“As a result of my activities and roles in Rivers State affairs, fighting for equity, justice and fair play, Amaechi and I had a close relationship. Immediately after he was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State in his first tenure, he came to my country home to visit me in appreciation.
“In his entourage were eminent sons and daughters of the State, such as Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas, Prof. Dagogo Fubara, Doris Fisher, amongst others.
“They all flew in a helicopter and landed in my country home, Kiagbodo to thanked me for my support, and told me that he was not a cultist and can never be as he was a devout Catholic. We supported his government.

“As Amaechi’s government came to an end in 2015 after 8 years, the Rivers Ijaws again insisted that it was their turn to take over governance in Rivers State and this time, the consensus was general among the people.
“All Ijaw people under the leadership of four times Minister, Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas insisted for an Ijaw man to take the lead. This was only fair and just and so many Ijaw sons and daughters with all manners of qualifications presented themselves. “Almost all of them had held top positions, both at the states and federal levels. None doubted the fact that it was the turn of an Ijaw man. “Therefore, when the then First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, sent Barr. Nyesom Wike to me to intimate me of his ambition, and solicit my support, I did not give it because I felt it was against the laws of fairness and natural justice.
“I insisted that it was unfair and unsellable for another upland person to be Governor again, immediately after three upland persons in succession.
“The next visit to my house was by some Ijaw chiefs from Rivers State including His Excellency Chief Rufus Ada George, former Governor of the State, Chief A. K. Horsfall, former Managing Director, OMPADEC, and former DG, DSS/NIA, and HRH E. M. B Opurum, Onyi ishi Etche.
“They insisted that President Jonathan should be invited into the meeting. Fortunately, he responded to my call and joined. At that occasion, they emphasised that it would be very unfair for them being the majority to be shut out for a period of 16 years and another Ikwere man taking power to make it 24 years. “President Jonathan pleaded and pleaded with us that we needed to give Wike a chance during an election year in which he was seeking to return to office at the centre.
“However, Barr. Wike was supported by the then President Jonathan and his wife. Although this was a shock to the entire Ijaw people in Rivers State and in all the other states, for the sake of peace, we supported Wike to contest the election.
“Perhaps we need to remember again that Wike’s highest position before coming to Abuja was as Local Government Chairman and later Chief of Staff to Amaechi who was his kinsman.
“In subsequent time, Amaechi appealed to Jonathan to make Wike a Minister which led to his emergence as Minister of State, Education, and later acted as the Minister when Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa’i was removed as the minister.
“The 2015 election was particularly tough due to the emergence of APC in Nigeria and in Rivers State as a strong force. At that time, the former Governor Amaechi had moved from PDP to APC and presented Dakuku Peterside, a prominent Ijaw son to contest the election.
“This notwithstanding, we abandoned our son, Dakuku and supported Wike. Secondly, the election was very fierce in Okrika and the Kalabari areas and could have stopped Wike from becoming the Governor but the Ijaw people stood face to face with the military with guns and in some points, confronted them even with women going nude to pursue the Wike election.
He recalled in Ogu, where the women protested against military violations of the election as capture in the dailies how women used menstrual blood to stop soldiers in Rivers when
Alarmed Nigerian soldiers were forced to abandon their mission to hijack ballot boxes during the March 9 Governorship/House of Assembly elections when a leader of the protesting Ogu/Bolo communities in Rivers State, out of desperation, sprinkled blood from her drenched menstrual pad on military patrol vehicles and by some mystical interference, the engines refused to kick…
“The protesting women leader and Vice Chair, Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area … confirmed she took off her heavily soaked menstrual pad, squeezed the blood all over Army patrol vehicles and the drivers could not start the vehicles. It was mysterious…. the Nigerian … had to pour a bottle of dry gin on the military vehicles and prayed or rather uttered incantations before they started.
“Following the strange incident, soldiers left, (in panic), aborting their mission to cart away ballot materials ….” Barr. Wike acknowledged this when he said “God used protest by Ogu/Bolo Women to secure my 2019 Election”. Ogu is an Ijaw land.
“Worst thing happened in Abonnema, also an Ijaw land, when young promising young boys lost their lives during the 2019 elections in the defence of Barr. Wike, when there was a shoot out between them and soldiers.
“There was no time the Ijaws asked Wike to bow down and worship them all through his 8 years as Governor of the State. This was because they did it for justice.
“After the election, the Ijaws who control about 10 of the 23 LGAs in the State, had to rally round Wike to make his govt succeed. At the height of Wike’s disagreement with Amaechi, the Ijaws had to rally around him as the dominant ethnic group in the state and fortified his hold on power.
This was partly during his return election in 2019 in which the APC fielded one of the most formidable candidates in the person of an Ijaw man, multi-billionaire businessman, Tonye Cole, son of Chief Dr. Patrick Dele Cole.
“Again, other prominent Ijaw sons such as Dumo Lulu Briggs, Engr. Biokpomabo Awara also presented themselves in other political parties but this time the situation with the federal level became very tough.
“Yet, the entire Ijaw under our leadership backed Wike. At this time, you became part of the system and I know as an Ijaw man you played a role in Okrika to help Wike to stay in power.
“My dear son you are an Ijaw man from Ogu. Did the people of Ogu lord it over Barr. Nyesom Wike because they fought to make him Governor? What you and your fellows are doing is sacrificing the Ijaw soul on the platter of political patronage. Think again!
“I am therefore at loss when I listened to your narrative regarding the unimaginable extent to which Wike has helped the Ijaw people. On the contrary, perhaps unknown to you, Wike has been the number one beneficiary of the goodwill of the Ijaw people.
“Throughout his political life, he has benefited from the help of the Ijaws. That is why his disagreement with Siminalayi Fubara whom he had picked over and above all our other sons and daughters, is quite sad and at times, disturbing.
“It is not a fight between the Ijaws and other groups. No, because this fight is actually about what is right and proper. He epitomised the so-called godfather-godson syndrome.
“This is why in this his fight with Siminalayi Fubara, some of the most active voices and supporters of the Governor are not Ijaws but actually from Wike’s own Ikwere, Ogoni and other ethnic groups.