A group known as the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience has recently criticized President Bola Tinubu for his perceived inaction regarding the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.
The group expressed serious concerns about the Federal Government’s role in the conflict, which they attribute to the clash between a political godfather and his godson.
The 21st CYNDAC’s leader issued a statement on Monday condemning President Tinubu’s silence on the matter. The statement read, “We condemn the silence of Mr. President to call the Federal Capital Territory Minister to order. The reason for the political crisis in Rivers State is not far-fetched. It’s a fight between a renegade political godfather and a godson, it’s a resistance to the capture of state resources and institutions for the use and benefit of a godfather and his loyalists.”
This criticism comes as the group points out the broader implications of the political struggle in Rivers State. They argue that the conflict stems from a power struggle where a political godfather attempts to dominate state resources and institutions for personal gain, rather than focusing on governance and the welfare of citizens.
The statement continued, “We use this medium to admonish the adversaries to allow peace to reign and allow state institutions to function according to the dictates of the constitution. There is no position in the constitution whereby a man becomes a state and openly boasts of making a state ungovernable.”
21st CYNDAC also condemned the perceived inaction of national institutions, which they argue are tacitly supporting the political godfather rather than upholding the principles of democratic governance. They highlighted what they see as double standards in the government’s approach to the political crisis, comparing it to the past administration of Nyesom Wike, who had replaced elected local government council chairmen with caretakers without similar police interventions despite political connections.
The group asserted, “All the country’s instruments of coercion are loudly silent and tacitly giving support to a godfather without taking cognizance of the welfare of citizens of the state into consideration. Undermining the authority of the state governor by laying siege to local government headquarters by the police is an act of taking partisanship to the extreme as the past government of Nyesom Wike sacked a duly elected local government council chairmen and replaced them with caretakers, the Police or any other agency of government never laid siege to the councils despite the fact that Amaechi (former governor) was also a minister and was in a chummy relationship with the then President.”
Furthermore, 21st CYNDAC emphasized their stance on the political situation in Rivers State, rejecting claims of instability. “We want to put it on record that there is no political instability in Rivers State as the citizens and residents are fully in support of the government of Siminalayi Fubara,” they stated.
In conclusion, the group criticized the role of the police in sealing local government offices, which they view as a partisan action, and called for an end to political manipulation. “The action of police in the sealing of the local governments is partisan and complicit, it doesn’t speak well of a public institution that is meant to be non-partisan,” they said.
They concluded with a call for respect and peace, saying, “Finally, we reiterate that no citizen is more citizen than the other and no one has a monopoly of violence or nuisance value than anyone else and as such, those renegade political lackey boys should respect themselves and allow peace to reign for the development and progress of the state. It should not be on record that the backing of Mr. President is the reason for the orchestrated political unrest in Rivers State.”
