Your Excellency Sir,
AN OPEN LETTER ON THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN RIVERS STATE
Your Excellency, we hope this letter meets you well and compliments of the Season.
We will like to commend Your Excellency, for heeding to our call; to help mediate in the political rift between Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike, the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Sir Siminialayi Fubara, the Executive Governor of Rivers State. However, as a people, we are now at a loss as to whether your intervention has helped in quelling the crisis or escalated it.
For us, as custodians of the Rivers peoples conscience and morality, we find the directive resolution document lopsided and skewed in favour of the interest of your current Minister, Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike, to the detriment of the Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, the governance of the state and the interest of the generality of the good people of Rivers State.
OUR OBSERVATIONS AND STAND:
1. The composition and attendance showed lack of balance between the two warring factions.
2. The faction recognized by a court of competent jurisdiction, the Elders of Rivers State, traditional rulers, women and youth leadership, were not represented at the meeting.
3. The eight point resolution or directive asked for the reinstatement of commissioners who willfully resigned, and the 27 former legislators who in all clear conscience and by legal implication jumped boat and got themselves dismissed from the affairs of the Assembly, should be reinstated and remunerated, smacks of a sense of political irresponsibility, lack of sensitivity to the laws of the land and due process. Furthermore, DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE THE POWERS TO OVERRULE THE RULING OF A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION WHEN HE IS A PRODUCT OF THE COURT HIMSELF? Central to this, Mr. President, is the sacred doctrine and practice of the separation of powers. May we inform Mr. President that the seats of the cross carpeting members have been declared vacant by the Speaker, known to law, Rt Hon Ehie Edison through an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court Port Harcourt division.
4. We cannot but imagine how providing accommodation and meeting venue for legislative business becomes the duty of members of the House of Assembly who you directed to seat wherever they choose and not by the Executive Arm as in the case of the National Assembly Complex were Legislative Quarters are provided and maintained by the Executive Arm.
5. Given the foregoing, it is obviously evident that Governor Siminialayi Fubara, the Chief Executive Officer of Rivers State, was coerced into submitting to your premeditated action plan even when it is well known that Mr. President does not possess such powers to give directives to a democratically elected Governor or impose his will on the State Government and the good people of Rivers State.
6. As far as we are concerned, that meeting did not happen and those directives are not implementable because to do so will be acting against the constitution and the rule of law.
Mr. President Sir, please accept the assurances of our highest regards.
SIGNED:
His Excellency, Chief Rufus Ada George CON GSSRS __________________
HE Alabo (Dr) G.T.G. Toby, KSC, DSSRS ___________________________
HE Ibim Princewill _________________________________
Rear Adm. O. P. Fingesi, (Rtd), OFR ___________________________
HRH Alabo Emeritus Prof Dagogo Fubara____________________________
HRH NLA Iraron, Ede Obolo II_______________________________
HH Anabs Sara Igbe_____________________________________
Sen Bennett Birabi__________________________________
Ms. Annkio Briggs________________________________________
Captain Nwankwo _________________________________________
