The Coalition Of Rivers State Leaders Of Thoughts is a group established and peopled by opinion moulders, elders and leaders of thoughts from diverse backgrounds in Rivers State who share same vision and represent informed and enlightened opinions on issues as it affects our dear State and strive for solution.
We have taken s deliberate position in tandem with the objectives and mission of establishing this body, to be unrelenting in our fight in defence of our dear Rivers State in the face of brazen actors of State capture and distabilizers of the State.
This we have done intentionally from the wake of the imbroglio and impass since October 2023. The world have witnessed cascading events since that October, and the concerted onslaught against the government and governor of Rivers State.
Rivers people are surprised that even after the intervention of the President of Nigeria with the supposed political solution to the problem through the Abuja Peace Accord which though skewed against an elected governor and leader of the State, and even the Rivers State governor’s painful sacrifices for the sake of peace, tranquility and development of our dear Stats, this problem instead of abating is being exacerbated.
It has become empirically evident that those at the frontline against the government and governor of our dear State are relentlessly fighting in proxy on behalf of our former governor, and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
The canon fodders and mercenaries in this war of attrition against Rivers State have remained the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amewhule who led his team out of the political party on whose platform the won election to another, thereby losing their seats as legislators’.
This had been officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission-INEC, who are yet to take action in the effect of the dictates of the 1999 Constitution with regards to such development.
Another set of actors and anarchists fighting hard to destabilize our dear State are the immediate past Chairmen of Local Governments in the State whose tenures elapsed on the 17th of June 2024. These men are still parading themselves as Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State till date.
Another is the action of Rt. Hon. Martins Amewhule who recently went to court in a bid to stopping the revenue accruals to the Rivers State Government. This is intended to starve Rivers State government of funds to carry out its mandates particularly that of the welfare and security of the peoples of the State. Rivers State Elders and Thoughts Leaders condemn in its entirety this cruel method of fighting Rivers State and her peoples by Rivers sons and daughters who found themselves in some privileged positions of trust.
We have seen brazen acts of subversion carried out by these forces loyal to our former governor and Minister of the FCT in such acts as the recent attempts by the Martins Amewhule led former members of the House of Assembly requesting the stoppage of Federal remittances of revenues to Rivers State. Another is the attempt to scuttle the planned 5th October Local Government Elections in the State by the request to INEC not to release the voters Register of Rivers State to the Rivers State Independent Election Commission-RISIEC.
Just within the period of a National Protest, the factional Chairman of APC in the State, Tony Okocha who is also a political appointee of Mr. President came up with a heinous and spurious accusation that the government of Rivers Sate sponsored the protests.
Very recently there was a bomb attack on the secretariat of the Allied Peoples Party (APP) in Rivers State in the wee hours of Monday the 12th of August, 2024. Even yesterday the 13th of August there was shooting at GRA in Port Harcourt. Rivers people and residents now lived in palpable fear. Our President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, your men in Rivers State are misrepresenting you and what we have known you to stand for as a true democrat. These men are beginning to paint you with the colour of a despot.
This is a clarion call by the people of Rivers State for you to wakeup to the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of Rivers people and residents. We should not be seen as a conquerable people. You are the father of the Nation, we pray you to act as such Now. We are also afeared that the body language of the Nigerian Judiciary on the
Rivers State crisis wherein conflicting judicial pronouncements regarding matters emanating from the State which are stocking and exacerbating the crisis has remained unaddressed by the National Judicial Council – NJC.
We are therefore compelled to state as follows: –
That after a careful analysis of the situation we accuse the Presidency of selective amnesia and inaction in the happenings in Rivers Sate with the tacit support to their colleague and Minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike to achieve his aim of State capture in order to annex and control Rivers State and her resources.
That the Presidency under the leadership of Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu – GCFR is illy illy in sympathy and support of his Minister of the FCT against the people of Rivers State.
That Mr. President is more interested in an individual than more than 8 million citizens and not less than 3 million Rivers voters.
And that Rivers people are shocked that there has not been any convincing and deterring actions of the security and intelligence community on the conflicts in the State. A recent account is the armed invasion of legitimate activities of Care Taker Chairmen in Ikwerre and Obio/Akpor Local Governments.
That Rivers people wonder why it is only those who are on the appointments of Pres. Tinubu that are attacking the governor and government of Rivers State in concert with their acolytes in the former members of the Sate House of Assembly led by Martins Amewhule, and also the recalcitrant immediate past Chairmen of Local Governments. That this is a very clear evidence of Conspiracy Theory.
That this conspiracy looks certainly geared towards the removal of the governor of Rivers State by every means possible and install an administrator to act on behalf of the Minister of the FCT. This is a recipe for catastrophe and ethnic war in Rivers State. This must be averted, Mr. President.
That whereas it is within the civic rights of the citizens of Rivers State to call for probity and accountability in the management of State resources, the very recent calls by elements and enemies of the State who could not do so during the past regimes only smacks of utter hypocrisy. Only last May 29th, the governor of Rivers State reeled out his account of stewardship to the people of the State, and these subversive elements never challenged it. If Rivers people feels or observes that the government is derailing on the management of our State resources, CORSLOT will not hesitate to call out the government. This is one of our cardinal objectives, to see to the acts of good governance and probity by the governor and government of the State.
That we call on our son and Minister of the FCT to concentrate on the good works he is doing in the FCT, for which we are proud of, and also Mr. President. We pray you to leave the governor and government of Rivers State alone to concentrate and discharge the mandate for which he was elected to serve the good people of Rivers State.
And finally, we want the President and people of Nigeria to know that we are happy with the actions and governance activities of the governor of Rivers State so far, even in the face of distracting and disruptive actions of those who once had the golden opportunities of serving Rivers State, who now have turned to political insurgents and terrorists against the State and her peoples.
We must fight to defend this opportune leadership of an Ijaw son on the saddle as governor of Rivers State. This we say in unison.
