Ijaw group condemns President Tinubu’s ‘unconstitutional’ takeover of Rivers

Amah Samuel-Ugbor Nnachi, Abakaliki

Ijaw Diaspora Council has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s ‘unconstitutional’ takeover of Rivers by declaring a state of emergency, saying by so doing, the former merely exhibited acts of lawlessness and unconstitutionality.

The group lamented that the President had eventually taken over Rivers State ‘unconstitutionally,’ as plotted, rather than call a former governor of the state and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order, he played the ostrich by foisting a military Administrator on the people.

President of the group, Prof. Gold Mondy, said in a statement: “It is with deep sadness and concern that we reflect on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The gravity of this action cannot be overstated, and it raises several troubling questions about the motivations behind this extraordinary, premeditated, and ill-fated step.

One cannot help but wonder if the President’s decision is driven by the prompting of his aide, a Federal Executive Council member, or Barrister Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, whose influence and power seem to overwhelm the All Progressive Congress (APC)-the led federal government, so much that, it is evident that the fear of Wike is now the beginning wisdom; a pearl of skewed and dangerous wisdom that is predicated on self-serving motives to destabilize the democratic apparatuses of a strategic State such as Rivers.

“Is the declaration of a state of emergency not contrived to please Wike and his band of reprobate minds and political prostitutes, who have presented themselves as willing tools to serve the President in “dividing the child,” as in the Biblical lamentation, all in the name of advancing the President’s political gains, shall we say, in the now, and view of the 2027 presidential election?” he further lamented.

He further said: “How a federal executive council member, an aide, so to speak, serving under President Tinubu can unsettle the federal government, and let loose like a roaring lion to run riot and amuck in Rivers State looking for who to devour, for personal interest, piques the mind. And we have a sitting President just watching from the sidelines and pretending to offer a feeble solution to a problem orchestrated by his aide in furtherance of their collective political agenda. It clearly shows that the President is incapable of reining on his aide, Wike, by using the weapon of “Regulatory Command” at his disposal to check the excesses of Wike. Or that there is a hidden agenda between the President and Wike to destabilize a democratically elected government in Rivers State? This is a situation that leaves many Nigerians, including the Ijaw diaspora, questioning the true intent behind this declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State.

“It said it was most worrisome President Tinubu’s action came at a time when the embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara was genuinely implementing the ruling of the Supreme Court.

“What is most difficult to accept is the fact that this move comes at a time when Governor Siminalayi Fubara is already in the process of implementing the Supreme Court’s judgment. The state, under the leadership of the Governor, has been working to restore order and address the issues identified by the judiciary. The Supreme Court’s decision was clear and specific, and the Governor has been taking necessary actions to implement it, suggesting that an external intervention was neither warranted nor appropriate. The timing of the President’s declaration, therefore, is not only unnecessary but also deeply unjust to the people of Rivers State, who have a right to be governed by the leaders they have democratically elected”, he added.

The group leader further stated that it is especially troubling to witness President Tinubu’s shift in position from his time as Governor of Lagos State, where he fiercely advocated for the autonomy of states and the sanctity of democratic elections.

” The same principles he once championed appear to have been abandoned, and in their place, we now see a troubling inconsistency that undermines the very foundation of our democratic process. When he was in power as Governor, President Tinubu stood firm in his belief that it was unacceptable for any outside force to interfere in the affairs of a democratically elected state government. Today, that same principle has been abandoned in Rivers State, where a sitting Governor is unceremoniously and unconstitutionally suspended.

“The decision to suspend a democratically elected Governor and replace him with an unelected administrator sets a dangerous precedent. It sends a message that the will of the people can be disregarded at the whims of federal power, undermining the trust and faith that Nigerians have placed in their elected officials. This action not only disregards the democratic choice of the people of Rivers State but also weakens the integrity of our entire political system.

“In the face of this grave injustice, the Ijaw Diaspora stands in full support of the people of Rivers State, whose rights have been trampled upon by a decision that is both self-serving and undemocratic. The people of Rivers State deserve to be governed by leaders whom they have chosen through free and fair elections. The federal government should work to resolve the political crisis through dialogue, respect for the rule of law, and adherence to the principles of democracy, rather than imposing authoritarian measures that undermine the very essence of our democratic system.

“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is a glaring testament to President Tinubu’s failure to wield the scalpel of diplomacy, opting instead for the sledgehammer of authoritarianism. His reckless overreach reeks of desperation, a state-sponsored coup draped in constitutional pretense. By stripping a democratically elected governor of his mandate and forcefully hijacking the political machinery of an entire state, Tinubu has shed the last veneer of democratic fidelity”, he stated.