Ijaw youth council rejects one-term deal, says Fubara has right to seek re-election

Theophilus Alaye, president of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide (IYCW), has rejected reports of a single-term agreement as a condition for the reinstatement of Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers.

Last week, TheCable reported that President Bola Tinubu agreed to reinstate Fubara as governor of Rivers — but with the condition that he will not seek re-election in 2027.

The truce was reached during a closed-door meeting on Thursday night at the Presidential Villa, where Tinubu hosted Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT); Fubara; Martin Amaewhule, the suspended speaker of the Rivers assembly; and a handful of lawmakers.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, the president of IYCW said Fubara has the constitutional right to seek re-election and should not be pressured by any political figure, including Wike, to accept a single term.

“The governor of Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara, is a citizen of Nigeria, and by virtue of the Nigerian constitution, we believe that the governor has the right to seek re-election,” Alaye said.

He described the claim of a single-term deal as mere speculation but pledged the council’s support for Fubara’s re-election bid.

“When we get to 2027, we shall know if that is part of the agreement. And if he has delivered the dividends of democracy for Rivers people, it is left for Rivers people to ask him to contest or not,” he said.

Alaye warned that such a deal would violate Fubara’s fundamental human rights and the Nigerian constitution if it truly exists.

“Oppression is what we would never support. We have always been a group of marginalised persons, and agitation has always been part of our lifestyle,” he said.

He reiterated the council’s commitment to backing Fubara’s right to contest in 2027, rejecting any infringement on his constitutional rights.