Some elders in Rivers have opposed the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers.

In a national broadcast, President Bola Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the state lawmakers due to their failure to resolve a political impasse.

The president also cited the destruction of pipelines by suspected militants as a contributing factor to the declaration.

However, Anabs Sara-Igbe, a chieftain of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, disagreed with the president’s action on the emergency rule.

He stated that all avenues for mediation should have been exhausted before resorting to an emergency rule.

“President Tinubu’s invocation of Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution at this time is inappropriate. The president claims to have declared a state of emergency to restore peace, but the real question is: why is the FCT minister Nyesom Wike, the key figure in the crisis, not suspended?” he said.

Mr Sara-Igbe said the president’s suspension of Rivers’ elected officials from office was unconstitutional.

“Unlike in Sokoto, Borno, and other northern states, there is no war or loss of lives in Rivers that warrants the declaration of emergency rule in a peaceful state,’’ Mr Sara-Igbe explained.

He, however, accused the president of not being sincere with the people of Rivers and had taken sides in the crisis through his actions and comments.

Ann-Kio Briggs, a prominent environmental and human rights activist, also decried Mr Tinubu’s justification for the emergency declaration, particularly his claim that Fubara failed to brief him or condemn the pipeline explosions.

She stated that Mr Fubara had, on multiple occasions, informed the president of developments in the state.

“On March 11, PANDEF met with the president to brief him and seek his intervention; the group had also made efforts to mediate peace between Fubara and Wike,” Ms Briggs. “So, for President Tinubu to give the impression that no efforts were made to resolve the crises is misleading.”

Ms Briggs said the president’s reference to pipeline attacks as a basis for the state emergency was not convincing since pipelines had been vandalised for decades in Niger Delta without such drastic measures being taken.

She acknowledged that while the president had the power to declare a state of emergency, he did not have the constitutional authority to suspend an elected governor.

“This decision is hasty, rash, and premeditated, posing a grave threat to the people of the state; it is a targeted plot against Governor Fubara. It is unacceptable,” Ms Briggs added.

She also referenced Mr Wike’s past remarks on TV, where he allegedly claimed to have the capacity to sabotage pipelines, and questioned why the minister was not suspended.

“Why wasn’t the minister suspended, considering he is a major player in the crises and the one the 27 lawmakers take instructions from?” Ms Briggs noted.

Tonye Cole, the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 Rivers election, blamed all political actors involved.

“Today is a dark day in Rivers politics; the president had no choice but to step in to address the situation. I believe the president made some attempts to resolve the issues, but he did not push hard enough to bring the matter to a peaceful conclusion,” Mr Cole said. 

(NAN)