From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

The member representing Port Harcourt Constituency Two in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Tonye Smart, has berated the national spokesperson of Ijaw Youth Council, Ebilade Ekerefe, for allegedly saying that Governor Nyesom Wike lacks the power to stop protests in Rivers.

Smart spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, that Governor Wike has constitutional rights to stop unlawful protest in exercise of his core mandate of protecting lives and property.

The lawmaker said there were other ways of making demands away from protest.

He said: “Yes, of course, every Nigerian has the rights to protest, so long as the protest is in accordance with the law. Who told you that the governor does not have the rights to stop any protest when he has information that the protest would cause lawlessness, commotion and anarchy in a state that he governs? He has the rights to stop a protest that is not peaceful.

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“There are other alternatives to protest. Why not dialogue? You can even write letters across to them (parties concerned) asking for audience, if they don’t reply, you can also send a letter to the governor to lodge official complaints without necessarily hitting the streets in protest”.

Smart also offered to take the national spokesperson of Ijaw Youth Council on a facility tour following claims that Governor Wike has not executed projects in Ijaw communities.

The lawmaker said: “He said that out of ignorance. I am ready to sacrifice my time to take him to the 23 local government areas of the state to show him projects executed by the governor.

“Governor Wike has signature projects in each of the 23 local government areas of Rivers. People should talk with facts and stop speculating