Crisis is currently brewing in Rivers State after the Ijaw Youths from the nine States of the Niger Delta region under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYC) on Friday called for the immediate release of the member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Farah Dagogo who was arrested on Thursday on the orders of Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike over seeries of allegations bothering on violence against at the secretariat of the PDP in the State.
IYC lamented that despite their appeal to Wike to rescind his arrest order against Dagogo, he still went ahead to arrest and arraigned him in court, describing it as disrecptful.
Accordingly the group stated that in the interest of peace, the charges should be dropped noting that his trial was politically motivated.
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In a statement issued by its spokesman, IYC Ebilade Erekefe asserted that Wike and the PDP should be reminded that Dagogo is an Ijaw son and his persecution is a persecution of all Ijaws in the Niger Delta.
The statement read in part; ‘The decision of the ijaws to tow the line of peace is all in a bid not to distrupt the peace in the region and also in recognition of the development efforts of Wike administration in Rivers.
“We may not be a partisan body, the arrest and arraignment of Hon. Fara Dagogo is in bad taste to the Ijaws. While it may seem Wike is deliberately ignoring the calls by the youths of the region, we call on the Court not to allow itself to be used in an effort to get political revenge over the choice to support any Presidential aspirants within the PDP.’
It also went to posit that despite calls by Rivers Stakeholders for Wike to give a level playing ground to all those who are vying to become the governor of Rivers state in the next gubernatorial election, the arrest order issued against Hon. Dagogo will be viewed as showing there is no level playing ground and selective witch hunt in the processes leading to the selection of Governorship candidate for PDP in the State.
Africa Daily News, New York
