Rivers Ijaw Youth Insists Only The Wike/Ipalibo Banigo Ticket Can Guarantee Rivers Resource For Rivers Development
Warns Against Consequences Of Replacing Rivers INEC Officer
A socio-cultural and political youth organization in Rivers state known as theRivers Ijaw youth has said only a vote for the Nyesom Wike/Ipalibo Harry Banigo ticket can guarantee Rivers resource for the development of Rivers state and its people.
Leader of Rivers Ijaw Youth who also is the National General Secretary of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide, Engr. Emmanuel Bristol Alagbariya in company of the IYC Legal Adviser, Ekine Egbelekro Esq and the IYC Women leader in a press interaction to firmly address some critical issues and concerns of Ijaw youth in the Rivers state political scenery said “It is our collective decision to once again re-echo our earlierdecision that all Rivers Ijaw youths must massively vote for Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike as the next governor of Rivers state.
Wike is a man who selflessly has given succor and sense of belonging to the Ijaws when we needed it most. In view of this, we have unanimously agreed to reciprocate his good gesture by throwing our weights behind the Wike/Ipalibo Harry Banigo candidature come April 11 2015 guber election. We are also using this medium to call on well meaning Ijaw youths including all and sundry to massively vote for Chief Barr. Nyesome Wike”, the statement reads.
Making his remark on behalf of the group, the Rivers Ijaw leader, leader, Emmanuel Bristol Alagbariya noted that as the apex body of all Rivers Ijaw youths, they have consciously studied the political dynamics and the intrigues of the political space in Nigeria and in Rivers state before unanimously coming to this conclusion.
He said a vote for Dakuku Peterside, the All Progressive Congress Governorship aspirant will be counterproductive to the Ijaw project and struggle, considering that it will obviously be an extension of the last administration that masterminded the underdevelopment and neglect of ijaw communities and its territories.
Hear him: “We acknowledge the fact that politics is about interest, hence our Ijaw brother Dakuku Adol Peterside, the All Progressive Congress Guber aspirant decided to vote for a Northerner along party line. However it has continued to amaze us that the same Ijaw brother and his collaborators staged a protest against election in the state and his ijaw brother calling for election nullification in a state that gave Mr. President the highest number of votes in the entire federation”.
“For our Ijaw brother to ask for the cancellation of an election that he also voted for his Northern candidate is not only a blatant misrepresentation but the greatest misgivings to the ijaw ethnic nationality and a monumental rape to the Ijaw struggle.
What moral justification does our Ijaw brother have to ask for Ijaw vote when he preferred a Northerner to his Ijaw brother? Similarly, considering the degree of celebration put up by our Ijaw brother and his collaborators immediately pronouncing victory of General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, it will be unjustifiable to heed to his request that Rivers ijaw youths should support him; even if the scales have not fallen off from our eyes, we can never be deceived or cajoled into playing politics of selfishness and broad daylight deceit” he was quoted as saying.
The Rivers ijaw national leadership also used the medium to warn of the consequences of any attempt to change the Rivers INEC officer. He said those that are painting a bad picture of the INEC officer were unable to get her to compromise to their terms as she has chosen to be a neutral arbitrator hence their decision to protest and blackmail her. He called on the Independent National Electoral Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega to do the needful by resisting any attempt to change the Rivers INEC officer so as not to heat up the already tensed polity.
Similarly he called on Rivers youths to eschew violence during the election, saying they should vote without been swayed, coerced or bought over by money. According to him,, the peace we all desire in the upcoming election can be achieved if we all play our expected roles.