South South Leader Edwin Clark has revealed that after the tenure of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State ended in 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, pleaded with the people of Rivers State, including those outside the state, to support Nyesom Wike for the governorship, even though it was the Ijaw people’s turn.
Clark, an elder statesman, emphasized that apart from divine intervention, the Ijaw people, including himself, were significant supporters of Wike’s political rise. As Amaechi’s government ended after eight years, the Rivers Ijaws insisted it was their turn to govern, with a consensus among the people that this was fair and just. Prominent Ijaw leaders, led by Alabo Tonye Douglas, rallied behind an Ijaw candidate, highlighting their significant qualifications and positions at both state and federal levels. No one doubted that it was the Ijaws’ turn.
In an open letter dated June 9, 2024, addressed to Senator George Sekibo and shared with journalists in Abuja, Clark cautioned against overstating Wike’s role in Rivers politics concerning the Ijaws. He noted that it would be unfair for the majority Ijaws to be excluded from power for 16 years, potentially extending to 24 years if another Ikwerre man succeeded. During this period, Jonathan pleaded with the Ijaws to support Wike during an election year when Jonathan sought re-election.
Clark, a leader of the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum wrote to Sekibo in response to his recent press briefing in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, where Sekibo and others met with the Ijaw National Congress leader, Prof. Benjamin Okaba. The open letter was also sent to President Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Sekibo had previously stated that the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress supported Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory who had shown his commitment to the Ijaw nation despite the political crisis in Rivers State. Clark remarked that although the Ijaw people were initially shocked, they ultimately supported Wike out of respect for Jonathan and his wife and for the sake of peace. At the time, Wike’s highest positions were local government chairman and Chief of Staff to Amaechi.
Clark, also the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum recounted that Amaechi had persuaded Jonathan to appoint Wike as a minister, leading to his role as Minister of State for Education and later acting as the minister.
Clark urged Sekibo and his group to be cautious in handling the affairs of the FCT Minister, accusing Wike of contradictions and inconsistencies. He noted Wike’s shifting stances from the Peoples Democratic Party primaries, his vow not to become a minister, and his harsh criticism of the All Progressives Congress which he compared to a cancerous party. Clark argued that Wike’s actions demonstrated his fickle-mindedness.