The Niger Delta Human rights activist and member of the Rivers Elders Forum, Ann-Kio Briggs, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of betraying the people of Rivers by failing to act decisively during the prolonged political crisis in the state.
She also condemned the secrecy upon which the agreement and reconciliation between President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara was made.
Briggs, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said despite the loyalty of Rivers residents to the PDP since 1999, the party allowed internal power struggles to fester, leaving the people to bear the brunt.
She said, “I definitely feel, as a stakeholder and elder, let down by the PDP political party because, since 1999, we have always voted, including me, for the PDP.
“If they had stepped in and done what they should have done from the beginning, not just in Rivers State but as a political party so prominent in the Niger Delta, the PDP would not find itself where it is today.”
Briggs also distanced herself from Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s public gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for brokering peace in the state, insisting not every Rivers person shares that sentiment.
She further stated, “Definitely not. Even the President himself will be aware that not everybody in Rivers State is going to be eternally grateful to him or to even the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and all the politicians.
“I am not as happy or grateful to the APC party as the governor is; he is the politician, and I am not.”
She faulted both the APC and the PDP for their roles in deepening the crisis.
The activist warned that the secrecy surrounding the peace agreement between Fubara, Tinubu, and Wike could damage the governor’s credibility.
“I think it’s not acceptable when politicians make these agreements over our heads; it’s like shaving the head of someone behind their back.
“We are the people who have paid the greatest price in all of these things, and to not be aware of the decision which will affect us, and therefore, we can’t gauge the extent to which these decisions will affect us, it becomes very difficult to flow with the politicians,” she said.
Briggs stressed that Rivers people deserved to know what was agreed upon: “We don’t know what the President has insisted on, we don’t know what was agreed upon, and where that leads the people of Rivers State. So, we need to know what was agreed on.”
Ibas Must Account For Rivers FundsBriggs further demanded accountability from retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who served as sole administrator during the six-month emergency rule.
“Funds expended during his tenure belonged to the people and must be accounted for,” she said, adding that the crisis had taught Rivers residents a valuable lesson.
Briggs stated, “I think the biggest lesson has been learned by the people of Rivers State, the electorate, to know that we have rights that are much bigger and more profound than the rights the politicians believe they have. They won’t be where they are without the people of Rivers State.”
The political crisis began months after Fubara assumed office in May 2023, following a bitter fallout with his predecessor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over control of the state’s political structure.
The rift spread to the House of Assembly, causing deep divisions among lawmakers and worsening instability.
In March 2025, President Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers, and appointing Ibas as sole administrator.
The emergency rule ended on September 17, with Fubara reinstated as governor.
