Former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo, on Saturday gave a ray of hope on the likely return to office of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State earlier than expected. Tompolo said talks were going on between Wike and Fubara to resolve their differences. He also rallied support for President Boa Tinubu’s second term in office in 2027, stating that “he is not a bad person”.
Breaking his silence on the state of emergency in Rivers State and Fubara’s suspension during his 54th birthday celebration at the Aziza Temple in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Ekpemukpolo denied his alleged betrayal of the Ijaw nation because of his silence over the Rivers political debacle and also stated his position on the controversial ward delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that the Egbesu Chief Priest told his guests that “People say I betrayed the Ijaw nation for not speaking about the removal of Governor Fubara. But I cannot betray the Ijaw people — I have spent my entire life fighting for them”.
While acknowledging his friendship with Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Tompolo noted that the Ijaw people played a role in Wike’s rise to power as governor of Rivers State and appealed to aggrieved Ijaws to rise above his controversial remarks about the Ijaw nation.
According to him, “We are beyond responding to that kind of talk. The Ijaw nation has grown past that level”.
Assuring Rivers people and the Ijaw nation that Fubara would soon return to office, Tompolo, revealed that dialogue was ongoing between Wike and Fubara to resolve their differences.
He declared that “I have sat on the throne of my father, and all that is lost will be restored. The Ijaw people will never be conquered. If we choose to go to war, even the heavens will support us. I have never fought and lost a battle”.
Throwing his weight behind President Tinubu, Tompolo said, “Let us continue to support President Tinubu. He is not a bad person, and he will bring good things to the Ijaw Nation.”
On the the contentious INEC ward delineation issue, Tompolo clarified that Ijaws and Itsekiris are not enemies, emphasising historical and demographic facts.
He asserted that “Omadino in Gbaramatu is 40 years older than all Itsekiri communities. If you add up all Itsekiri towns, they still do not match the population of Okerenkoko. INEC only revealed the truth. We are one people — the Olu of Warri is a maternal son of Gbaramatu”.
He therefore issued a strong warning to those allegedly fueling division within the Ijaw community, positing that “Bayelsa is our home. Anyone who tries to destabilize Bayelsa will meet fierce resistance. I may not always agree with Governor Diri, but we are both Ijaws. The time for internal strife is over. We must love and protect each other.”