Ijaw National Congress condemns Tinubu’s state of emergency in Rivers State

Joseph Irikefe

 

The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State, calling it a “hasty, lopsided and partisan” move allegedly designed to favour Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and his cohorts.

While reacting to questions raised  by news men in Yenagoa, on the State of the ljaw Nation, the President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organisation INC, Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba accused the President of the Federal Republic Nigeria of ignoring wise counsel and implementing a premeditated plan. According to Prof Okaba, the decision to declare a State of Emergency was triggered by the Ijaw people’s refusal to be provoked into violence during last weekend’s (Saturday) orchestrated thanksgiving/hosting of Wike at  Abalama.

Prof. Okaba stated that the alleged aim of the Abalama event was to incite violence and create justification for the declaration of emergency rule, which failed as Ijaw youths heeded the wise council of their elders. He further questioned why President Tinubu had chosen to impose emergency rule in Rivers State while failing to do so in other crisis-ridden states like Plateau, Benue, Borno, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Ondo, where frequent violent attacks have led to the deaths of many civilians and military officers by faceless tribal militia and other criminal minded elements.

“We said it just yesterday in both print and TV media that the political wahala in Rivers State is beyond a battle between Wike and Fubara, but one orchestrated by a bigger political hand. Nigerians have now seen the last straw that may break the camel’s back,” Okaba asserted.

The INC leader also condemned what he described as the selective nature of the emergency rule, pointing out that while Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, the State House of Assembly members, and all appointees were removed, Wike—whom the INC describes as a key figure in the crisis and other federal appointees from Rivers State who support him—remain in office as FCT Minister and federal appointees. Where is justice in this equation?

The INC President also placed a question mark on Tinubu’s claim that Fubara, among other things, did not make any effort to abide by the rule of law and create an enabling environment for good governance.

The truth that is well known by Nigerians is that these claims are totally wrong, as evidenced in the fact that, in addition to providing a befitting space for the House of Assembly to conduct meetings (after the demolition of the Assembly building) and paying their allowances, Fubara complied with all the terms of agreement reached with Mr President, including the withdrawal of court cases, reappointment of Wike’s commissioners etc. Fubara had also started the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement by sacking the LGA chairmen and putting in place machinery for the conduct of Local Government Elections. His attempt to re-present the 2025 Budget was again frustrated by Wike and his legislators who were hell-bent to remove Fubara as governor by any means and at all cost.

The Ijaw National Congress calls for a thorough investigation of the recent pipeline bombing incidents referred to by Mr President as the main reason for the declaration of the State of Emergency. We suspect the evil hand of the monkey in this, to bring to pass one of his well known options to abruptly end the tenure of Sim Fubara.

“How do we explain that, Mr. President’s experimental State of Emergency sacked Governor Fubara and all his appointed persons but did not sack Wike, the major player in this matter, who has continually and boastfully promised mayhem, attacked Ijaw people, and incited violence?” Okaba questioned.

The Ijaw National Congress has called for an immediate Sack of Tinubu’s FCT Minister and his cohorts, if the call for the reversal of the State of Emergency by well meaning Nigerians is ignored, warning that failure to do so will compel the Ijaw people to reassess “all the injustices meted upon them since the foundation of Nigeria” and take a firm stance in determining their future.

The Professor of Sociology warned that the safety and security of Governor Siminalayi Fubara must be a top priority following the military’s takeover of power in Rivers State under the declared state of emergency. With the armed forces now in control, concerns have risen over the potential risks to Fubara’s, family members and associates’ well-being. The INC wonders if President Tinubu will guarantee the protection of Fubara and his family, insisting that any harm to him would raise serious questions about the intent behind this intervention. The world is watching, and this move increasingly appears to be a case of dictatorship disguised as civilian governance. The Ijaw people, both at home and in the diaspora, must unite and place the President on notice, making it clear that both the removal of and any threat to Fubara’s safety will not and can never be accepted.

Should the declaration of State of Emergency stand, elections to the Local Government Councils in Rivers State should be kept on hold until after the expiration of the state of emergency, so that Wike and his state captors should not be given undue advantage to satisfy their insatiable taste for total control of the political and economic resources of the state.

Meanwhile, we call on all Ijaw sons and daughters, home and abroad, to remain calm, peaceful and vigilant. An emergency all-embracing stakeholders meeting shall hold shortly to deliberate on the above and many other issues that pose as existential threats to our people and environment by the Nigerian State.

As the political situation in Rivers State continues to unfold, the Ijaw Nation is calling on Nigerians to stand in defence of democracy and the rights of the Ijaw people.