The Pioneer President of Ijaw Women Connect, Mrs Rosemary Aken John-Oduone at the weekend spoke on the political crisis in Rivers State.

She traded tackles with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, calling him a “cheap blackmailer and a bully” over his remarks on the Ijaw ethnic group and his ongoing feud with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Reacting to Wike's outbursts during the week, John-Oduone dismissed Wike’s claims that the Ijaws are a minority in the Niger Delta, insisting that the ethnic group remains one of the most dominant in Nigeria.

“Ijaw is the fourth-largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria. If you even take proper statistics, we might be second or third. But because of where we are, by demographic records, we know our place,” she argued.

She accused Wike of attempting to diminish the influence of the Ijaws in Rivers State politics, reminding him that the state’s first governor was an Ijaw man.

“In Rivers State, Ijaw people have about 11 local governments, even though two are shared with other ethnic groups. How many does Wike have as an Ikwerre man?” she asked

John-Oduone also took a swipe at Wike’s self-made narrative, crediting former President Goodluck Jonathan for his political fortune.

“Wike is saying nobody made him. If not for Jonathan, who made Wike minister and later governor, nobody would have known him or his generation,” she maintained.

She further accused Wike of timing his attacks on Ijaw leadership to coincide with major political events, particularly PANDEF’s recent visit to President Tinubu.

“He waited until PANDEF went on a courtesy visit to the president because he wanted to use them to rubbish the Ijaw nation. Then he came back to the public to make utterances that would denigrate our people,” she said.

Calling for unity, she urged Ijaw leaders to take decisive action against Wike’s repeated attacks.

“We shouldn’t take this lightly. Ijaw leaders should sit down, go back to the drawing board, and strategize. The Ijaw people have always been the ones fighting for the Niger Delta, from the days of Isaac Boro,” she noted.

Wike’s recent remarks have triggered widespread outrage among Ijaw groups, with mounting calls for a strong political response to counter his ongoing assault on Ijaw identity and influence.