Ibas Consolidates

The controversy over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State last Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu has continued to generate inflamed reactions as the Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), took steps to consolidate his hold over the administration of the State.
The Sole Administrator, who resumed duties on Thursday in Port Harcourt after his swearing-in by President Tinubu in Abuja will hold a crucial forum with civil servants at the State Secretariat Complex on Monday.
The Head of Service, Dr George Nwaeke, said in a circular at the weekend that the Sole Administrator would after addressing workers at the secretariat complex, sign the nominal rolls of the different ministries and parastatals.
Presidency sources confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria has been directed to release withheld federal allocations of the state to the Sole Administrator.
Vice-Admiral Ibas had at a meeting with the 23 Heads of Local Government Administrations in the state directed that outstanding salaries and entitlements of local government workers in the state be paid.
After his first meeting with top government officials and service chiefs, the sole administrator warned that his administration would respect and protect civil liberties and human rights of the citizens but would maintain the rule of law.
“Those who seek to sabotage the social and economic of Rivers State and national infrastructure and institutions within the state or who attempts to disrupt the peace for selfish and destructive ends will find zero tolerance for their actions.
“There will be no room for lawlessness, no space for violence and no patience for actions that threaten our collective wellbeing. We will not act arbitrarily neither will we hesitate to enforce the law when necessary,” he said.
He however appealed for collective efforts from political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youths, women, the media, and civil society to make his stay a success.
He said, “I do not come as a partisan actor or as a competitor in the struggles that have brought us to this moment. I come as a servant of the State, entrusted with the solemn duty of restoring peace and order, so that Rivers State can move forward once again and reclaim its rightful place as the Oil and Gas Capital of Nigeria and I dare say Africa.”
He urged all residents in the State to remain law-abiding and peaceful and during the period of his administration to rebuild peace and trust is among the people.
He promised to roll out the roadmap for the next six months to ensure that every government bureaucracy functions properly while all agencies provide services to citizens.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for the confidence reposed in him to serve in the delicate national assignment.
He also thanked the leadership and members of the 10th National Assembly for approving Mr. President’s State of Emergency proclamation for Rivers State.
Meanwhile, controversy has continued to rage over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State last Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu
The President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Afam Osigwe, said the declaration and its endorsement by the National Assembly were unconstitutional.
“Being unconstitutional also are the removals of the governor, his deputy and the members of the state house of assembly,” Osigwe said.
He said by adopting a voice vote to endorse the declaration, the National Assembly failed to fulfil the Constitution. “The Constitution requires that a certain action be done by two-third majority, you take physical vote and count and declare the number of persons present and the number of persons who actually voted to be sure that the Constitutional requirement has been met,” he said.
“The problem in Rivers State cannot be solved by declaration of a state of emergency but by having a political discourse which involves the major players whose ego has prevented them from placing the people and welfare and security of Rivers State above every other person,” he said.
Prominent political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, said the declaration of the state of emergency amounted to the murder of democracy. “Democracy was murdered in Nigeria yesterday.” He said.
Utomi said, “Let’s be clear. This was supposed to be a case of two fighting. Who are the two fighting? And over what are they fighting? And why do a whole people have to bear the brunt of these outside egos who are damaging the peace of all for whatever they say they are fighting.”
Describing the declaration as “a scam on the Nigerian people,” the professor said the Nigerian political class has consistently been demolishing Nigerian institutions through their insensitive actions.
The Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate (SNPM) said the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State was undemocratic. “We call for immediate reversal,” said Augustine Chukwudum, the President of SNPM. “The action of President Bola Tinubu has shown clearly that his plan was to ruin democracy. But we must stop it this time.”
Chukwudum said Nigerians must resist the attempt to convert the country to personal estates of the President and his cohorts. “Wike is moving about freely and threatening fire everywhere and the President has not ordered his arrest despite calls for it by different groups.”
The South-South Governors’ Forum had in a communiqué, said the declaration did not conform with constitutional provisions and urged that steps be taken to reduce tension and encourage dialogue. The communiqué was signed by the Chairman of the South-South Governors, Forum, Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State
Rivers Elders and Leaders Council Forum led by former Rivers State Governor, Rufus Ada-George, called for the suspension of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike along with the governor, deputy governor and the legislators being the principal actors in the acts that led to the declaration of a state of emergency.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum said the declaration was a betrayal of the group by the President who had commissioned the group to intervene in the crisis only to declare the state of emergency behind their back.
Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, said the declaration was done in bad faith, saying, “Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers. His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.”
Similarly, former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, said the declaration was unconstitutional. In a statement, Amaechi said, “I condemn the rather brazen and unilaterally reckless suspension and removal of the Governor of Rivers State, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the President.
“With this singular move, Mr President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers State. This clearly violates our Constitution, the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Mr. President swore to uphold.”
The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, blamed the stalemate that occurred before the declaration of state of emergency on the 27 legislators loyal to Wike.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Nelson Chukwu, he said, “We moved swiftly to comply with the Supreme Court’s judgment immediately we received the certified true copy of the judgment to return the state to normalcy. Unfortunately, at every turn, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly frustrated our efforts, thus making genuine peace and progress difficult.”
Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, said the voice vote adopted by the National Assembly to endorse the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State has cast a doubt about the existence of democracy in Nigeria.
“The parliamentary vote held yesterday clearly demonstrates that democracy, in its true sense, does not exist in Nigeria. Where there is no functional opposition, democracy cannot thrive,” Obi stated.
Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional lawyer, said the state of emergency had no legal basis, arguing that the emergency provisions of Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution do not empower the president to dissolve state governments.
Citing Section 11(4) of the Constitution that prohibits the National Assembly from removing a governor or deputy governor, he said the Constitution must be upheld to prevent a descent into authoritarianism.
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, a former presidential adviser, said the declaration of the state of emergency was capable of igniting violence and instability in the Niger Delta.
“This is a simple political dispute that requires a simple solution. Call the two gladiators, sit them down, and read them the riot act. One of them, after all, is your own appointee. What will it benefit you, Mr. President, to keep Wike and lose the Nigerian economy?” he asked.
“Does the President realize that the Niger Delta crisis twice pushed Nigeria into recession under President Muhammadu Buhari?”
The Civil Liberties Organisation, Rivers State chapter, said in a press statement by Sunny Dada and Christian Oyegbule, said, “The recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Tinubu is not only an overreach of executive powers but also an assault on democratic principles and the will of the people.
“This drastic action comes amid an orchestrated political crisis fueled by centrifugal forces operating from within and outside the state. It is deeply concerning that rather than addressing the root cause of the conflict, the unconstitutional maneuvers of a factionalized State House of Assembly tacitly backed by the Federal Government has chosen to penalize the entire state, placing the lives and livelihoods of millions at risk.
The Concerned Civil Society Organisations, a coalition of civil society groups in Rivers State, condemned the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
At a press conference in Port Harcourt, the coalition said the President went beyond his powers when he suspended the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the House of Assembly.
Mr. Courage Nsirimovu, who read the text of the press conference said the President violated Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution when he suspended the governor, the deputy governor and the house of assembly.
He added that the President failed to demonstrate neutrality in the Rivers State crisis when he “openly declared support and gave presidential backing to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s faction in the political crisis in the state.”
The coalition praised Governor Siminilayi Fubara and residents of the state for their peaceful disposition and vowed to take legal action within and outside Nigeria to restore constitutional democracy in Rivers State.
The press statement was signed by Amb. Tombari Dumka-Kote, Indigenous NGOs and Civil Society Network, Dr Sophia Daniels of Initiative for Sustainable Peace and Entrepreneurial; PILEX Center for Civic Education Initiative; Center for Rural Integration and Development; The Books Foundation; and Community Initiative for Enhanced Peace and Development.