Former Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) President, Udengs Eradiri, has urged the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to treat the ongoing reconciliation process with seriousness, warning against turning it into a political spectacle.
Speaking from Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Eradiri expressed disappointment in the governor’s approach to mending political fences in the oil-rich state.
He noted that since the initial public meeting between Fubara and his former political mentor, Nyesom Wike, there have been no visible efforts to deepen peace talks or reach out to other key players in the political crisis.
“I was disturbed, shocked and surprised to hear that the suspended Governor Fubara has yet to hold reconciliatory meetings with some critical stakeholders such as the Speaker and members of the suspended House of Assembly, aggrieved Rivers elders and those local government chairmen, who were in the same political family with him,” he stated.
Eradiri, who previously served as a commissioner in Bayelsa State, noted that Wike’s recent comments during a media appearance reflected a deeper truth about the state of reconciliation in Rivers.
“The recent media chat of Chief Wike is instructive and revealing especially where he said that Governor Fubara was doing reconciliation on television and radio,” he added.
According to Eradiri, such surface-level actions are not helping the peace process. He advised Fubara to lead from the front and personally engage all affected parties in meaningful discussions rather than allowing political supporters to cause further division.
“Suddenly, those who called themselves Fubara’s have resumed their singing and dancing and shows where the make remarks and cast innuendos inimical to any peace process,” he said.
He also noted that Fubara’s loyalists must stop adding fuel to the fire by engaging in public antics that create more tension rather than healing wounds.
In addition, Eradiri called on the governor to open communication with fellow governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially those involved in the Supreme Court case on emergency rule filed against President Bola Tinubu. He believes such a step is essential in advancing reconciliation beyond state borders.
“This is where I think by now the reconciliation should progressed to. There is nothing the President can do on this matter because that case at the Supreme Court has tied his hands,” he said.
He warned that if the reconciliation process fails or is not done properly, any reinstatement of Governor Fubara might lead to more conflict and possibly his impeachment.
“Governor Fubara should also know that if he is reinstated without genuine reconciliation, the bad blood will continue and may lead to his impeachment,” Eradiri added.
