A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has described President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State as an undemocratic move that does not capture the reality in Rivers.
However, in a statement made available to the media, Eze claimed that “Mr. President’s stance in the circumstance clearly reinforces and points to his long perceived biased leaning in the whole imbroglio.”
He also said: “one can safely say that having failed to use his 27 loyal Assembly members to remove the Governor, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike succeeded in procuring President Bola Tinubu to achieve, to some extent, the onerous task of getting Governor Fubara out of office, though temporarily, but illegally too.
“There is no where in the entirety of Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which President Tinubu cited as the source of his power to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, that the removal or suspension of a democratically elected Governor is envisaged.
“One therefore wonders where the President derived his powers to suspend a democratically elected Governor.
“On several occasions, more particularly in 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared state of emergency in some terrorist-infested states in the northeast region without removing the Governors of those states because he was properly guided to understand that such action is ultra vires his powers and if taken would undermine the basic principles of democracy, escalate the crisis and occasion political unrest.
“The reason preferred by President Tinubu in his emergency rule over Rivers State is a clear pointer that the Nigerian government under Tinubu cares more about oil money than it does about human life.
“Since the President took over power in 2023, Nigerians have died in droves; in hundreds and thousands from terrorist attacks, herdsmen invasions, hunger, and other nefarious acts from non-state actors in different parts of the country to warrant a declaration of state of emergency, but he never did; but a mere threat to oil facility has prodded the President to act with the swiftness of a magic wand. So, in Nigeria, oil facilities matter more to government than human life.”
The APC chief also called “on the Governor, people of goodwill and the entire Rivers people to remain calm, peaceful and law abiding in the face of the despotic display of Tinubu at the prompting of Nyesom Wike, in whose hands the President has become an instrument of destabilization.
“By this unpatriotic, ill-advised and pre-meditated act of national disgrace, Tinubu has really shown he is not what Nigerians think of him.
“At his age, experience and considering his leadership and managerial acumen, one would have thought that President Tinubu would be patriotic, humane, unbiased, upright and truthful in the handling of the political crisis in Rivers State.
“Without mincing words, declaration of state of emergency and subsequent suspension of Governor Fubara and his deputy the State Assembly without suspending Nyesom Wike his appointee who is the arrowhead of the political crisis in Rivers State, is an affront on Nigeria’s democracy and stands highly condemned.
“The fact that Tinubu chose to heap unjustifiable blame on Fubara, condemning and casting aspersion on his person, lucidly portrayed the President’s action as one taken in bad faith, and lacking in natural justice.
“How on earth could a President, on the corridor of passage to the world beyond, who is supposed to be God-fearing, just, fair, upright, humane, and patriotic, to say the least, condescend so low as to avoid mentioning Wike’s name in his demonic presentation?
Echezona Okafor.
