Udengs Eradiri, a former worldwide President of the Ijaw Youth Council, has urged the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to avoid turning the reconciliation process—critical to restoring democratic order in the oil-producing state—into a political game.
In a statement released on Wednesday from Port Harcourt, Eradiri, who also previously served as Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa State, expressed disappointment over what he described as Fubara’s lack of sincerity and visible commitment to meaningful reconciliation.
According to him, the governor has failed to build upon the initial peace moves made with his estranged political mentor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
“I was disturbed, shocked, and surprised to hear that Governor Fubara has yet to hold direct reconciliation meetings with critical political stakeholders, including the Speaker and members of the suspended House of Assembly, aggrieved elder statesmen in Rivers, and some local government chairmen who once belonged to his political family,” Eradiri lamented.
He referenced a recent media chat granted by Chief Wike, in which the minister accused Governor Fubara of turning reconciliation into a media performance.
“Wike’s comment that the governor is conducting reconciliation on television and radio is not just revealing but troubling. Reconciliation should be a sincere, behind-the-scenes process, not a show for public consumption,” Eradiri said, calling the move a “low mark” unbefitting of the weighty political crisis at hand.
Eradiri warned that turning the reconciliation effort into public theatre could undermine peace and prolong political instability in the state.
“Suddenly, some individuals claiming loyalty to Governor Fubara have resumed their public displays — singing, dancing, and throwing jabs at opponents — actions that are detrimental to any real peace process,” he noted.
“Fubara must discourage such political showmanship and discourage his supporters from inflammatory rhetoric or behavior that risks further inflaming the situation.”
Offering advice on a possible path forward, Eradiri stressed the need for Fubara to take full ownership of the peace process and demonstrate statesmanship. He emphasized that reconciliation must be deliberate, inclusive, and results-driven—not a symbolic gesture for the cameras.
Eradiri further called on the governor to urgently engage with fellow governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly regarding the legal case they filed at the Supreme Court challenging the emergency rule declared to prevent his impeachment.
“This is where the reconciliation process should have evolved to by now,” he said.
“The President cannot act freely on the Rivers issue because his hands are tied by that Supreme Court case. Since the matter is sub judice, the responsibility falls on Fubara to reach out to the PDP governors and get them to withdraw the case as part of a broader reconciliation deal.”
He cautioned that any attempt to reinstate Governor Fubara without sincere reconciliation with all aggrieved parties could lead to renewed hostilities and possibly a second round of impeachment proceedings.
“If the governor is returned to office without mending fences and healing political wounds, the underlying tensions will fester, and his tenure may remain under constant threat,” Eradiri warned.
The former IYC leader said a failure to pursue genuine reconciliation would only plunge Rivers State back into instability and render the emergency measures already taken meaningless.
“Without real reconciliation, Rivers could slide into chaos once again. The emergency rule put in place to protect him from impeachment will lose its essence, and the state will continue down a dangerous path.”