• Demands Dismissal from Cabinet

• Safiu Kehinde

A political group, Ijaws for Tinubu 2027, has called for the immediate dismissal of Nyesom Wike’s as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister over his remarks concerning the Ijaw people.

The group warned that the presence of the former Rivers state governor in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet is a threat to democracy and the peace of the Niger Delta.

NPO reported that Wike had, during a media chat with journalists the political crises in Rivers on Wednesday, referred to the Ijaw people as a minority ethnic group in the Niger Delta.

Reacting in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday, the Ijaw group leader, Comrade Tamuno Esiri, called for Wike’s dismissal as he warned that his presence in Tinubu’s cabinet may harm the President’s chances of re-election in 2027.

Esiri condemned Wike’s assertion, insisting that the Ijaws are among the dominant ethic groups in the region.

“The Ijaws for Tinubu 2027 demand the immediate removal of Wike if President Tinubu is determined to secure a second term, which he deserves.

“We believe Wike is deliberately undermining the president’s support among the Ijaw people, who constitute a majority in the Niger Delta.

“In our view, Wike’s presence in President Tinubu’s cabinet poses a threat to democracy and peace in the Niger Delta,” he said.

Esiri also urged Tinubu to rein in Wike over his alleged involvement in escalating political crises in Rivers and his purported insults directed at respected elders and political leaders across the country.

He advised the president against believing that Wike could still deliver Rivers in the 2027 general elections.

“President Tinubu should note that Wike has lost the political goodwill he carried into the 2023 elections, as an overwhelming majority of Rivers people are firmly behind Gov. Siminalayi Fubara.

“Any political interest that believes the FCT Minister can secure victory for the president in the 2027 elections in Rivers State should have a rethink,” he added.

Esiri also criticised the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly for allegedly proposing bills that could further destabilise the state’s political landscape.

He issued a 14-day ultimatum for the lawmakers to heed Tinubu’s call for peace by allowing Fubara to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill.

“The legislators must immediately desist from initiating self-serving and anti-River State bills, or they should prepare to be recalled by their constituents.

“If the lawmakers fail to promote peace, we will collaborate with all well-meaning groups and Rivers people who support Gov. Fubara and President Tinubu to initiate their recall process.

“The Ijaws for Tinubu 2027 demand the total liberation of Rivers State,” Esiri concluded.