‘Thunder Fire Them’ – Wike Goes Tough On Ijaw Youths, Calls Their Bluff After 48hrs Ultimatum

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike has called the bluff of socio-cultural organization of the Ijaw nation after he was given 48hours to release House of Representatives member, Hon Farah Dagogo.

The organization had stated that a federal lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny in the House of Representatives, Dagogo alongside others were apprehended on Wike’s orders for allegedly disrupting the screening of governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt.

Wike had earlier declared Dagogo wanted for allegedly ”hiring cultists to attack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt.”

The Ijaw National Congress through its President, Professor Benjamin Okaba, had released a statement calling for the release of Dagogo within 48hrs.

The statement reads in part: “We wish to remind Governor Wike that Hon. Farah Dagogo is as eminently qualified as any other Rivers man or woman to contest for the office of governor on the platform of the PDP. As nobody is denying Governor Wike his right to vie for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he too should refrain from scuttling the rights of others to aspire to any elective office in the country, including the office of governor of Rivers State.

“By his current shenanigans, Governor Wike has exposed his pangs to underscore his disdain for an Ijaw successor in Rivers State. We now know that this has been his secret agenda. But let the historic contributions of the Ijaw people to the creation of old Rivers State not be lost on Governor Wike.

“Governor Wike should be reminded that the beauty of democracy underscores free contest and not an imposition. He is not an emperor and, therefore, cannot single-handedly dictate a successor against globally accepted democratic tenets.

“As a sitting governor, who is exiting office in 2023 after his constitutional two tenures, his politics of succession must be seen to be all-inclusive and not designed overtly or covertly to exclude Ijaw interest in Rivers State.

“We have it on good authority that Hon. Farah Dagogo’s health has deteriorated as a result of his ordeal in the hands of Governor Wike. He is said to be suffering from chest and stomach complications. Let Governor Wike realise that the Ijaw nation is watching. Nothing should happen to Hon. Farah Dagogo.

“The INC, hereby, demands the immediate release of Hon. Farah Dagogo from incarceration within 48 hours. As a lawyer, Governor Wike knows that his trumped-up charges against Hon. Farah Dagogo are bailable. If Governor Wike thinks he has legitimate charges to convict him, he should allow the due process of the law to take its legitimate course. Release Hon. Farah Dagogo in the interest of peace, justice and fairness, to enable him to pursue his political ambition, to which he is constitutionally entitled.”

Replying to the statement, at a church program on Sunday, May 8, Gov Wike said the Ijaw youths do not know who they are dealing with.

He stated that instead of them coming to peacefully ask what happened, they are issuing an Ultimatum.

”Thunder fire them and the ultimatum” he said.