The Arogbo Ijaw Community Organisation of Ese Local Government Area of Ondo State, has warned against any likelihood of suspending the lawmaker, Chief Success Torukerijo, representing their constituency (Ese-Odo) at the House of Assembly, by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
The Chairman of AICO, James Ashidi, said in a statement on Friday, that the lawmaker spoke their minds when he talked about the marginalisation of his constituents by the governor.
The Community believes what Torukerijo said was true, emphasising their condemnation of the exclusion of Ijaw People from the state COVID-19 Palliative Committee recently constituted by the governor.
In the statement, Ashidi said the lawmaker was right to have cried against the ‘repeated marginalisation’ of the Ijaw people by the governor.
The statement read, “Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress are engrossed in moves to suspend the lawmaker from the House of Assembly for crying out against years of deprivation, intimidation and oppression against the minority Ijaw in the state.
“Those involved in the devilish plot against the cry of the Ijaw for recognition as citizens of Ondo State under a seeming apartheid regime should desist from it. The constituents of the lawmaker would stand by him.”
The Ijaw group also spoke against the alleged handing over of the development of Arogbo Ijaw to the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr Agboola Ajayi.