Nigerian statesman and leader of Ijaw nation, Edwin Clark, has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, played crucial roles in supporting Nyesom Wike’s governorship bid in Rivers State after Rotimi Amaechi’s tenure ended in 2015.
According to Clark, this support came despite it being the turn of the Ijaw people to lead.
Clark acknowledged that, besides divine intervention, the Ijaw community, including himself, were significant backers of Wike’s political ascent.
As Amaechi’s administration concluded, the Rivers Ijaws collectively agreed that it was their turn to govern.
The Ijaw people, led by four-time Minister Alabo Tonye Douglas, insisted on an Ijaw candidate, presenting numerous qualified individuals for consideration.
In an open letter dated June 9, 2024, addressed to Senator George Sekibo and made available to journalists in Abuja, Clark cautioned Sekibo about overstating Wike’s role in Rivers politics regarding the Ijaws, as reported by Vanguard.
Clark pointed out that the Ijaw community felt it was unjust for them, as the majority, to be excluded from power for 16 years, potentially extending to 24 years if another Ikwerre man succeeded Amaechi.
He recounted how former President Jonathan urged the Ijaw community to support Wike during an election year in which Jonathan was seeking re-election. This plea from Jonathan, coupled with a desire for peace and respect for the former president and his wife, led the Ijaw people to back Wike’s candidacy.
The leader of the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) wrote to Sekibo in response to his recent press briefing in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, where Sekibo and others expressed support for Wike.
Clark highlighted that this support was a significant shift for the Ijaw people, who had initially planned to present their own candidates.
The open letter was also copied to President Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Clark noted that despite initial resistance, the Ijaw community ultimately supported Wike out of respect for Jonathan and his wife.
He accused Wike of contradictions and inconsistencies, referencing Wike’s actions during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries and his subsequent political maneuvers.
The elder statesman urged Sekibo and his group to exercise caution in their dealings with Wike, whom he described as fickle-minded.
