President
Bola Tinubu on Tuesday evening declared a state of emergency in Rivers State in
a nationwide broadcast.
Citing
the need to restore law and order, Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor
Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the
House of Assembly of Rivers State for an initial six months.
Tinubu
announced the nomination of retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the Rivers
State administrator to steer the affairs of the state.
A
few hours after the declaration, soldiers took over the Rivers Government House
in Port Harcourt, during this time it was reported that Governor S. Fubara was
still in his official residence even in the aftermath of the declaration at the
Government House when the troops swarmed over the premises around 9 pm.
Moving
from the Government House into the heart of Rivers, it has been reported that in
many parts of the Port-Harcourt metropolis, residents and motorists were seen
rushing home to their families after the news of the state of emergency broke
out through the media.
His
Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu justifies his action following his broadcast,
President Tinubu said he was disturbed by the unfolding events in the state,
which appeared to have defied political solutions, stalled development and
progress and denied the people of the state the dividends of democracy.
In
the broadcast he said, “In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and
evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy
Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to
issue this proclamation as required by SECTION 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution
as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision
of SECTION 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as
amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today,
18th March, 2025 and I so do.
“By
this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy,
Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State
are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.”
“In
the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas (rtd.) as
Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the
good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does
not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function
in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”
However,
the President explained that the emergency declaration did not affect the
judicial arm of Rivers State, which will continue to function in accordance with
its constitutional mandate. To this cause, the Administrator will not make any
new laws but he is free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to
do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the
Federal Executive Council and be promulgated by the President for the state. Also
in the declaration, he added that, the this declaration had been published in
the Federal Gazette, a copy of which had been forwarded to the National
Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.
‘’It is my fervent hope that this inevitable
intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening
all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political
players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole,’’ the President
stated.
The
declaration came a few hours after Tinubu summoned an emergency meeting with
his service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police at the Aso Rock
Presidential Villa following double blasts at two different oil pipelines in
Rivers State. The meeting, which began at 3:00 pm, was attended by:
ü The
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu
ü The
Directors General of the State Security Service, Mr Adeola Ajayi
ü The
National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.
ü The
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio
ü Senate
Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele
ü Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas
ü Deputy
Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and other top government officials.
The
Governor responding to his suspension by the President, Fubara, in a speech he
personally signed, called for calm, saying, “We will engage with all relevant
institutions to ensure that our democracy remains strong and that Rivers State
continues to thrive.”
In
the statement titled, “Press Release by the Executive Governor of Rivers State,
the suspended governor blamed the Members of the State Assembly for being loyal
to Wike, saying they frustrated all his attempts to comply with the verdict of
the Supreme Court.
Governor
Fubara’s speech:
“My dear Rivers People, I address you today
with a deep sense of responsibility and calm, as we navigate this unfortunate
moment in our state’s political history.”
“Since assuming office as your governor, all
my actions and decisions have been guided by my constitutional oath of office
and a great sense of duty.”
“We prioritised the protection of lives and
property and ensured the continuous progress of our dear state.”
“Even in the face of the political impasse, we
have remained committed to constitutional order and the rule of law, putting
the interest of our people above all else.”
“This was why, immediately after Mr
President’s intervention to broker peace, we did not hesitate to implement the
agreed terms in good faith, including welcoming back commissioners who had
previously resigned on their own volition.”
“Furthermore, we moved swiftly to comply with
the Supreme Court’s judgement immediately we received the certified true copy
of the judgment to return the state to normalcy.”
“These
steps were taken not for personal gains but to foster peace, unity and
stability in our dear State.”
“Unfortunately,
at every turn, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly frustrated our
efforts, thus making genuine peace and progress difficult.”
“Our
priorities remained the security of lives and property and advancing the
well-being and prosperity of Rivers people.”
“Yes,
we have political disagreements, but good governance had continued, salaries
have been paid, and great projects were being executed to move the state
forward. Above all, Rivers State is safe, secure and peaceful under our watch.”
“At
this critical time, I urge all Rivers people to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
We will engage with all relevant institutions to ensure that our democracy
remains strong and that Rivers State continues to thrive.”
“We
have always been a resilient people, and we will face this situation with
wisdom, patience, and unwavering faith in the democratic process.”
Source: newsexpressngr
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