Chairman of the PANDEF Peace and Reconciliation Committee, Chief Kanu Agabi has called on all the parties in the crisis to embrace reconciliation.
Agabi who spoke on behalf of members of the committee that was inaugurated on Monday said they took up the assignment for the respect they have for the 97 years old King Alfred Diete-Spiff, Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass and first military governor of the old Rivers State.
He noted that the political crisis in Rivers State had lingered for too long.
He however stressed that the “Committee is not appointed to sit in judgment over the parties. We have no competence to do so. Our duty is to appeal to the parties to be reconciled with one to another, and we now do so. We appeal to the parties to embrace reconciliation. We urge them, we beg them, we appeal to them. Sacrifices are called for. Make them and let there be peace.
“We are appointed to explore ways of bringing the escalating political crisis in Rivers State to an end. This crisis has persisted for too long. If it continues any further, it will call into question the commitment of the parties involved to the interest of the people of Rivers State and of the nation that is compelled to share in the pains and anxieties of that State.
“We cannot afford to stand by and do nothing or pass by on the other side as Rivers state, a state whose talents and resources have blessed and continue to bless the nation struggles with issues of political power.
“The resolution of this matter is something that the parties can handle themselves without the intervention of third parties. They must be willing to go the extra mile with one another, to turn the other cheek and to pray for one another. Let them not dismiss this as weak or sentimental as we often do when the name of the Lord is mentioned in politics or economics.
“The misconception that God has no place in our politics has harmed and continues to harm the nation.
“Whether we are governors or ministers or legislators, whoever we are, it is to God that we owe our appointments and promotions. Whether we are servants or slaves it is the Lord that we serve. And it is to him that we shall, in the end, render an account. We urge the parties to proceed with caution. We urge them to make allowance for error. We appeal to them to proceed with a prayer for forgiveness just in case they may be wrong.”
Speaking of the three major actors in the crisis, Agabi said: “The Minister, His Excellency, Nyesom Wike, is my friend. He is my benefactor. He is a man I love. He is a man I respect. I bear witness to his courage and patriotism. The work he did as Governor of Rivers State and the work he is doing as Minister of the FCT have since immortalized him. The mighty hand of God is upon him. That great Hand demands that he should lead this reconciliation.”
For the governor, he said: “I say the same thing about His Excellency Governor Fubara, I happen to have been a member of the team that defended the petition that arose from his election as governor. That is my bond with him. I trust him to respect that bond”.
He went on: “In a nation as diverse as ours, discordant voices will be heard from time to time. In the midst of those discordant voices, the President can be trusted to recognize the clear ring of truth when he hears it.
“That is the whole essence of the Presidential system in vesting the president with all executive power which he is trusted to exercise in order to calm the nation down.”
For the legislators Agabi said: “We have great respect for the members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State and we have no doubt whatsoever that their motives are genuine and patriotic. We pray for a change of heart on their part. It is in forgiving the Governor whatever wrongs he has committed that they will demonstrate their restraint, their public spirit and their maturity.”
He also warned that both parties cannot afford to be like the Clam and Oyster.
He said: “Let the parties involved not be as the Clam and the Oyster which left their abode in the depths of the sea and came to the sea shore to fight. They went on fighting even when they saw the fisherman coming. The fisherman picked them up, took them home and made a nice fine meal of Clam and Oyster. May it not be with Rivers State as it was with the Clam and the Oyster.
“We trust that the Lord will touch the hearts of those to whom we address our appeal for peace and reconciliation. It is our firm conviction that this matter can be resolved amicably.
“ That conviction is rooted in the fact that the parties to this dispute are one people who began as one. They played significant roles in assisting one another to the various offices that they hold now. If they have now offended one another, they must be humble enough to apologize and to forgive. It is in forgiving that true greatness can be found.”
