Rivers State government may resort to legal action against Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, over his unrelenting criticism and allegations against the Celestine Omehia administration.
A source in Government House, Port Harcourt, said the administration had become “very uncomfortable” with the verbal attacks by Clark and other “so-called Ijaw leaders” from Rivers and elsewhere in the Niger Delta.
He confided that the government is particularly miffed by the “campaign of calumny,” which seeks to unsettle it and cause more conflict in the state.
“Most of the allegations against the Omehia government cannot be substantiated. If you accuse someone of being a cult member, you have to provide evidence. It (the government) is therefore considering such (legal) action so that they can prove their claims in court”, the source added.
A court action would aim to deter Clark, a former Federal Commissioner, and those of his like-mind who, in recent weeks, have taken pot shots at the government and its key officials.
Although Information Commissioner, Emma Okah, denied knowledge of moves by the government to seek legal redress, our source insisted that Omehia is studying the situation, and “the possibility (of court action) is very high”.
After the meeting of the Ijaw National Forum (INF) with President Umaru Yar�Adua in Abuja last week, Clark told journalists that Rivers Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, was rusticated from an unnamed university because of his involvement in cult activities, a claim Ikuru denied.
Clark also accused the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Gabriel Pidomson, of being a cult member.
Later in the week, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) acting Vice Chancellor, Victor Omuaru, tried at a press conference in Port Harcourt to clear Ikuru of the allegation.
He said Ikuru graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree in mechanical engineering, and had an unblemished record throughout his study in the institution for five years.
Clark, who hails from Kiagbodo in Delta State, had last month � alongside another former Minister, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, and former Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) boss, Albert Horsfall � urged Yar�Adua to declare emergency rule in Rivers after days of mayhem unleashed on Port Harcourt by cult groups.
The call was not heeded by Aso Rock. Nonetheless, it took the intervention of soldiers to restore normalcy.
Indigenes of Rivers have berated Clark for sniping at Omehia, saying it is regrettable that an elder could fan the embers of disunity.
State Deputy Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Ohochukwu Obiandu, said Ikuru is a “credible Nigerian” with an impeccable character.
He argued that the man would have been stopped from contesting the election if he was found guilty of carrying out cult activities.
“Rivers is not the only Niger Delta state where there have been problems, and if Clark could not suggest workable solutions in resolving the Warri crisis, why is his interest in the Rivers issue so strong. He is harbouring these cult members and militants. So what moral justification does he have?” Obiandu queried.
State Overseer of the Christ Apostolic Church, Godwin Osuigbo, described Clark�s statement as unfortunate.
He said he knew Ikuru long before he ventured into politics, and that “he (Ikuru) has never been a cult member”.
Clark, however, has the backing of the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), an amalgam of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND, Reformed Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (RNDPVF), and the Martyrs Brigade (MB).
JRC Spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, stressed in an email that “�Clark has the right to complain on issues that he believes demand attention. Anyone who condemns (him) over his statements must have dysfunctional mental issues…
“It is best to consider the (verbal) exchange as a process that would eventually provide competent and capable leadership in Rivers State. Omehia has started on a very bad note, and this will haunt him for a very long time.”