The Leader of the South-South Peoples Assembly, Chief Edwin Clark has accused Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of dramatizing the crisis in the state.
Besides, the former Federal Commissioner said it was wrong to have elevated the crisis to the national issue.
The elder statesman also said that Ijaw leaders will mediate in the crisis between Bayelsa and Rivers over oil field.
He spoke on Wednesday night at the opening of the one day expanded National Working Committee of the South South Peoples Assembly, held in Asokoro, Abuja.
He said,” the governor of River State is dramatizing the crisis in the state and he just wants support. And some distractors and opponents of this government are using the Rivers state issue to create crisis in the country. What is happening in the state is between two factions and nobody has been killed.
“We have sat here on two occasions to discuss Rivers problem. It is a shame that the problem of Rivers State has now become a national issue. It is true that Rivers is part of Nigeria, is Ogun State not also part of Nigeria? Recently, people were killed even within one party. What happened in Ekiti State where people were killed? How many people have been killed in Rivers State?
“The Senator who flew to London, it has been discovered that he was pretending, he was not shot at, he was not injured.”
While commending the people of RIvers for their unalloyed support for President Goodluck Jonathan, Clark pleaded that the President be left out of the alleged role being played by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu in the crisis.
Chief Clark, who also spoke on the crisis between Bayelsa and Rivers over oil issue, said it should not be another issue for campaign as the Ijaw leaders have decided to wade in.
He explained that “after consultations with Ijaw leaders, we have decided as leaders to takeover this matter to call the two sides together. And so I am appealing to the government of Baylesa and Rivers to handoff this problem of the oil between the states.”
Clark also wants the President to be left out of the issue, arguing that “this is not the first time there will be crisis over oil issue. There have been crisis between Akwa-Ibom and Cross River, Akwa-Ibom and Rivers and Abia and Rivers. In all these there was never a time the President’s name was mentioned. So why is it that today the President’s name is being mentioned as if he is the one causing the problem? We are taking over this issue from the government.”
