Tag: rivers

Police neutralise suspected vandals attempting to detonate pipeline in Rivers

The Police Command in Rivers has confirmed the neutralisation of an unspecified number of suspected vandals attempting to vandalize a pipeline in the Aluu and Rumuekpe communities, Rivers.

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this to journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, stating that the suspects died on the spot.

He explained that the operation was part of the ongoing joint effort with other security agencies to safeguard the state.

“The joint security forces successfully thwarted an attempt by miscreants to vandalise a pipeline, leading to the death of the vandals who sought to detonate it.

“The failed detonation was due to the swift response of security personnel to the incident at Allu-Rumuekpe in Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers on March 16,” he stated.

Adepoju further revealed that, following the success, security forces proceeded to Onelga LGA on March 19, where they averted another potential bomb attack by criminals.

During the operation, he said that two suspects were arrested in possession of four dynamites, detonating pods, and other Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components.

“Subsequently, on March 21, our joint security forces raided a kidnappers’ hideout along Omoku Road in Ahoada East LGA, leading to the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers.

“Six victims were rescued from the kidnapper’s den during the operation,” he said.

Items recovered included two pump-action guns, two locally made pistols, four locally made single-barrel guns, live ammunitions and cartridges, as well as communication equipment.

Adepoju also disclosed an increased deployment of security operatives to disrupt criminal activities across the state.

According to him, the joint security forces have established a State Operations Control Room to provide real-time surveillance and facilitate rapid response to security threats.

“To this end, within the next seven days, we will commence enforcement operations to impound all vehicles operating without registered number plates, as such violations often aid criminal activities.

“Vehicle owners who have not complied are advised to take advantage of this grace period to obtain the necessary registration documents,” he stated.

The police officer also issued a stern warning against further acts of vandalism on oil and gas pipelines, as well as other public infrastructure in the state.

He assured that security forces would identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals engaged in such unlawful activities.

March 26, 2025
Rivers Emergency Proclamation: Atiku’s coalition misses the point – By Ehichioya Ezomon

Whether they expected it or not, members of an amorphous coalition of opposition politicians, with the declared aim of removing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu from power in the 2027 General Election, met the first disappointment in their chosen path on Thursday, March 30, 2025.

Led by former Vice President and twice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the group had called on the National Assembly (NASS) to vote against Tinubu’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State, and suspension of elected officials therefrom.

Besides, the coalition urged the Judiciary to swiftly strike down the Tinubu pronouncement, as “it sets a dangerous precedent that could be used to arbitrarily remove any governor in the future,” and urged all Nigerians, civil society organisations and political groups to reject the move.

At the coalition’s press conference in Abuja, Atiku, flanked by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai; the spokesperson of the Labour Party (LP), Yunusa Tanko; and an ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, described Tinubu’s actions as “illegal and a violation of the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.”

Accusing Tinubu of failing to “follow due process,” and misusing Section 305 of the Constitution “to declare a state of emergency,” Atiku said: “Section 305 of the Constitution allows the President to declare a State of Emergency only in extreme cases, where public safety, national security, or Nigeria’s sovereignty is at serious risk. However, it does not grant him the power to suspend elected officials or to demolish democratic structures, as he has brazenly done.

“This action is not only unlawful, but also a clear subversion of democracy and imposition of autocratic federal control over a duly-elected state government. We strongly condemn this development and call on all Nigerians of good conscience to resist this brazen assault on the Constitution of our country and the institutions of our democracy.

“Even if an emergency declaration were valid (which it is not), it would still require a two-thirds majority approval of all members of the National Assembly – that is, at least, 72 Senators and 240 Members of the House of Representatives. If this approval is not secured, the proclamation must automatically cease to have effect.”

But the coalition got a shocker from both chambers of the National Assembly on March 20, which gave an overwhelming approval to the emergency rule in Rivers State.

As the Senate confirmed its decision via a voice vote with no figures disclosed; and the House of Representatives, which also had a voice vote, revealed that 243 of its 360 Members signed the register, the Atiku coalition missed the point: That the Constitution “does not give the President the power to suspend a Governor and Members of a State House of Assembly.”

In interpreting the Constitution and Laws derievable from the GRUNDNORM, what’s not expressly provided is subject to discretional authority, which President Tinubu exercised in the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and Members of the Rivers Assembly for six months.

Let’s bring the argument home. Why did the Supreme Court give judgment to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who was in self-exile in Ghana, and didn’t campaign nor win the Rivers governorship poll in 2007? It’s to cure then-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s interference in the PDP primary results with extraordinary measures, such as President Tinubu deployed to halt the danger facing Rivers, Niger Delta and the entire country.

In the unprecedented judgment, the Supreme Court said that votes are cast for the Party and not its candidate, who directly benefits from the electoral commission declaration in the end. Hence, the apex court ruled that Amaechi, having won the PDP primary, the votes won by Celestine Omehia at the poll belonged to him.

Also in 2010, the National Assembly introduced the “DOCTRINE OF NECESSITY,” which’s not provided for in the Constitution, to upgrade then-Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the post of President, as then-ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua, who died in 2010, didn’t hand over power to Jonathan, as Acting President, before his medical trip abroad.

Had Fubara secured two-thirds majority of members of the Rivers Assembly – in line with the provisions in subsections (4), (5) and (6) of Section 305 of the Constitution – and called on the President to proclam a State of Emergency on Rivers State due to threats by militants to blow up oil pipelines if Fubara was impeached; the governor could’ve saved his position, that of the Deputy Governor, and Members of the Rivers Assembly.

Section 305, subsections (4), (5) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution, states as follows:

“(4) The Governor of a State may, with the sanction of a resolution supported by two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly, request the President to issue a Proclamation of a state of emergency in the State when there is in existence within the State any of the situations specified in subsection (3) (c), (d) and (e) of this section and such situation does not extend beyond the boundaries of the State.

“(5) The President shall not issue a Proclamation of a state of emergency in any case to which the provisions of subsection (4) of this section apply unless the Governor of the State fails within a reasonable time to make a request to the President to issue such Proclamation.

“(6) A Proclamation issued by the President under this section shall cease to have effect – (a) if it is revoked by the President by instrument published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation;

(b) if it affects the Federation or any part thereof and within two days when the National Assembly is in session, or within ten days when the National Assembly is not in session, after its publication, there is no resolution supported by two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly approving the Proclamation;

(c) after a period of six months has elapsed since it has been in force: Provided that the National Assembly may, before the expiration of the period of six months aforesaid, extend the period for the Proclamation of the state of emergency to remain in force from time to time for a further period of six months by resolution passed in like manner; or

(d) at any time after the approval referred to in paragraph (b) or the extension referred to in paragraph (c) of this subsection, when each House of the National Assembly revokes the Proclamation by a simple majority of all the members of each House.”

Governor Fubara didn’t heed the provisions of Section 305(4) and (5) of the Constitution when the militants began to blow up oil pipelines. Instead, Fubara, facing an impeachment threat, became the Instigator-in-Chief and enabler of the militants’ destruction of oil pipelines in Rivers State, which could’ve spread to other States in the Niger Delta had President Tinubu not stepped in with the emergency rule in Rivers.

Fubara reportedly told the agitating militants, “Boys, I’ll soon give you signal when you will start action, just be on standby, I’m not scared of anybody.” This is from a governor – who’s the Chief Security Officer of Rivers – wanting to destroy the state that he governs!

And it seems Fubara did give that “signal” when the Rivers Assembly served him with an Impeachment Notice. The militants started by blowing up pipelines that carry crude oil for export, causing huge infernos that add to the devastation and pollution of the Niger Delta.

In the circumstances, what did the opposition coalition want President Tinubu to do? Fold his arms, and hail Fubara and the militants for a job well done? That would’ve been a novel failure, and ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Proclaiming the State of Emergency in Rivers, Tinubu referenced a recent Supreme Court judgment that declared as “non-existent” governance in Rivers; and the militants’ bombing of oil pipelines.

President Tinubu said: “On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State, as shown by the evidence before it, pronounced in very clear terms:

“A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution, as amended. In this case, the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature, to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.”

“With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation (in Rivers) to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which, no doubt, requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.

“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.”

Members of the opposition coalition, who’ve railed against President Tinubu’s actions in Rivers State, should put Nigeria’s survival above their narrow, self-interests of scoring political points ahead of the 2027 General Election that’s already heating up the polity.

Nigerians genuinely need peace in Rivers State, and the entire country, with the Tinubu proclamation of emergency rule having the potential to arrest the lingering political crisis since 2023.

March 24, 2025
Disregard court order against Rivers Sole Administrator – Fubara’s aide

Dr Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has urged the public to disregard a false court order purportedly issued against the state’s Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas.

Ehie made the remark in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

He noted that the reports, circulating on social media, claimed that a State High Court had issued an order preventing Ibas from resuming duties at the Government House.

He stated that the claims were false, saying that he had not filed any suit against the sole administrator.

“The malicious post alleged that the court order was granted in a fictitious suit that I had purportedly filed, challenging the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State as unconstitutional.

“This is a baseless act of blackmail and deliberate misinformation by individuals of low minds who seek to incite unrest and disaffection among people of Rivers State,” he stated.

Ehie further pointed out that both his name and those of other officials had been misspelt in the report, and that no suit number, hearing date, or filing time had been provided.

He criticised the author of the report as being uneducated and urged the public to dismiss the claims.

“The post is baseless, false, and malicious, designed to sow division among the people and misrepresent me as a non-conformist.

“It is intended to fuel hatred and resentment among Rivers people,” he concluded.

March 23, 2025
Rivers emergency: Only Akpabio, Abbas know what 2/3 of voice vote is – By Ikeddy Isiguzo

THE constitutional aberration on Thursday in which indeterminate numbers of the National Assembly ousted the provisions of the Constitution to please President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a reckless step in democracy worsened by the intentionality of its execution.

Section 305 of the Constitution interprets a state of emergency as a situation of “national danger, disaster or terrorist attacks in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control.” There are parts of Nigeria that meet these conditions. Did the President impose a state of emergency?

The President has the constitutional power to declare a state of emergency in any part of Nigeria. However, this proclamation must be published in the official government gazette and ratified by the National Assembly, requiring approval from two-thirds of its members.

The President exceeded his powers and knew his men at the helms of the National Assembly will pass the proclamation suspending elected officials in Rivers State.

What stopped the President, who gloats about his democratic credentials, from building on the sound democratic and constitutional examples former Goodluck Jonathan laid when confronted with terrorist attacks in North East and North Central Nigeria?

President Jonathan on 31 December 2011 declared a state of emergency in Borno, Niger, Plateau, and Yobe States without removing elected officials. On 14 May 2013, Jonathan imposed emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States with the elected government structures still intact.

President Tinubu should have used these most recent examples of interpreting the Constitution which aimed at heightening security in the affected States to regain control of the areas and stop the insecurity from spreading.

Tinubu’s reaction when Jonathan declared state of emergency without removing elected officials:

“It is a display of unpardonable mediocrity and diabolic partisanship geared towards 2015. Borno and Yobe States have been literally under armies of occupation with the attendant excruciating hardship experienced daily by the indigenes and residents of these areas,” Tinubu had said in 2013.

“This government now wants to use the excuse of the security challenges faced by the Governors to remove them from the States considered hostile to the 2015 PDP/Jonathan project.

“No Governor of a State in Nigeria is the Chief Security Officer. Putting the blame on the Governors who have been effectively emasculated for the abysmal performance of the government at the centre, which controls all these security agencies, smacks of ignorance and mischief.”

The same Tinubu 12 years on blames Governor Sim Fubara for not maintaining security in Rivers State as if there had been constitutional amendments awarding Governors such powers.
Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, and Tajudeen Abass, Speaker, House of Representatives were more interested in approving the declaration than following constitutionally stated procedures.

They would not allow debates. They did not permit “reminders” that members present needed to be counted to ensure, first that two-thirds of them was in attendance, and a count of those who voted for or against the declaration was needed to reach a decision, according to the Constitution.
An uncertain number of legislators in both houses of the National Assembly passed the declaration by voice vote.
How many members were present? Did the numbers reach the two-thirds required for the proceedings to continue? Where are the records of the attendance?
Akpabio and Abbas should explain to Nigerians what volume of voice votes represents the two-thirds of members which the Constitution requires. They may also need to tell us which Constitution they used or when they amended the Constitution to give them powers to opt for two-thirds of voice votes.

MultiChoice as FCCPC’s choice

THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, established by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, FCCPA, in 2018, is a very powerful Commission that should be working for the interests of Nigerians, all Nigerians, and residents of Nigeria.

Grand expectations from the Commission include to develop and promote fair, efficient and competitive markets in the Nigerian economy, facilitate access by all citizens to safe products, and secure the protection of rights for all consumers in Nigeria.

If one is to make a list of goods and services that benefit Nigerians, they would run into hundreds of thousands and their producers and providers could run into millions. What does FCCPC do about them? It does something.

The story was about recently of the Vice President calling Mr. Olatunji Bello, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice-Chairman of FCCPC, to re-open a shop that belonged to the Vice President’s friend. Whatever the offence was, the FCCPC clampdown on the shop was lifted.

Other times one hears about FCCPC are when it takes on MultiChoice, apparently its service provider of choice to exercise its regulatory authority which is still at most vacuous. What is so special about MultiChoice to elicit such attention? The question is pertinent because other providers of the services as MultiChoice do not undergo the same scrutiny.

The issue is always about price adjustments. Once MultiChoice announces a change in the rates for accessing its services, FCCPC bares its regulatory fangs as if its researches do not capture the increases in prices of goods and services across all sectors. Government agencies have been increasing from travel documents, cost of filings in court to petroleum products.

One never heard a whimper from FCCPC. Even shops that it insisted should display prices of goods, determine the mode of compliance which is not in the interest of consumers. FCCPC’s silence may be related to the Vice President’s calls and the fact that market forces are sometimes political forces – most big businesses know who to call.

Rising energy costs, whether petroleum products or electricity, and insecurity are driving high prices of goods and services. FCCPC knows this but maintains a grave silence about these service providers whose services are more critical to the survival of the economy and Nigerians than digital television.

Cost of financial services has gone up. Merely keeping a bank account comes with new costs. Medications and health services have higher prices daily. School fees are continously on the rise, including in government institutions. These are goods and services that are very important for the survival of the society.

How many million Nigerians subscribe to MultiChoice which keeps millions of Nigerians employed through the value chain of its service? Why is FCCPC not concerned about the providers of other services and goods that affect more millions of Nigeria?

Every organisation is also blaming the high exchange rate for high prices of goods and services. Is MultiChoice exempt from high foreign exchange costs when it pays for most of its programmes in foreign exchange?

How does FCCPC “promote fair, efficient and competitive markets in the Nigerian economy” which its mandate prices? Competition is supposed to propel market forces to deal with service providers whose services are beyond the reach of consumers.

Does FCCPC have the powers to determine the prices and services? What has it done with the airlines operators, producers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, who increase their prices, particularly when demand is high?

FCCPC should stretch its attention to goods and services that are essential. Digital television is not an essential service. Those who can afford it should pay, others can go elsewhere.

Essential as foods are, many Nigerians are dropping some items from their menu. They cannot afford them. FCCPC should know about it or it does not matter.

FCCPC has gone to court to enforce its orders on digital television rates. When will FCCPC go to court over the rising prices of essential goods and services?

Finally…
TWO sets of Nigerians have to be commended for lessening the burden of an extraordinarily sad week of constitutional vandalisation, deaths from accidents and bandits:

Senators Seriake Dickson, Enyinnaya Abaribe, and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who finally walked out as Akpabio pursued his determined outcome. Representatives Obi Aguocha and Fred Agbedi had their calls for constitutional procedures ignored. Abbas too was on a mission. There were others in both houses, who worked hard to rescue the Constitution.

And the Super Eagles who turned in a 2-0 defeat of Rwanda in a World Cup qualifier, when they were hardly given a chance to win.

March 23, 2025
Open letter to His Excellency, Gov Fubara – By Steve Egbo

Your Excellency,

Accept my greetings and salutations. I hope you are in good health, physically and emotionally. I know this is a very hectic period for you, but kindly permit me to offer you some advice on the ongoing squabble in your state, Rivers. I am doing this because it is the desire of so many of us that peace should reign in Rivers state, and of course, the rest of the nation.

You have been at the peak of this fantastic imbroglio for most part of your two years in office, and, as it were, you never had a respite. Finally, matters have come to a head, and it is not looking good for you. In the days and weeks, even months ahead, there will be many advisers. It is for you to be wise and choose wisely. My own pieces of advice are as follows.

You must first admit to yourself that you have handled the Rivers crisis very badly. You displayed a high level of feistiness, high handedness, authoritarian disposition and flight of reason. All of these allowed the problem to coagulate. But right now, your high horse has been skewed and you can now walk on the ground and certainly can see more clearly. Having admitted all of these to yourself, you can consciously and actively chart a way out.

Demolishing the Rivers State House of Assembly was a tragic event. Something that never happened in the history of this beleaguered nation. That singular act portrayed you in very bad light and robbed you of the sympathy of many genuine patriots. That legislative institution is not about any individual or group. It represents the soul of Rivers state and its people, even when those who stream in and out of it lack the necessary finesse. My view there is that you will apologize to the people of Rivers state and seek their forgiveness.

Going forward, you have to reconcile with your enemies. And the number one figure is your former friend and boss, Mr Wike. You have to go to him. Find the courage and means to do this. Consult people he respects and let them open a channel of communication between you two. Nyesom Wike is not a gentleman, but he is not an evil man either. He is grating, coarse, petulant, loquacious, annoying and much more, but you need him now. You need him just as you needed him in 2022/23.Talk to him, apologize to him and make peace with him.

You must also seek audience with the president. Immediately. Approach him as a father. Do this with humility and genuine contrition. Apologize for not heeding his earlier advice and directives. He is not just the Commander in Chief, he is Wike’s employer. If Wike fails to listen to anyone else, he will listen to the president. Make concessions where necessary and give promises where required. You stoop to win even if you don’t have to conquer.

The issue at hand is a political issue. And it must have a political solution. It not a judicial matter. It is not about ethnic considerations and so on. It is not an Ijaw-Ikwerre affair. No. Please note that creating anarchy or making Rivers state ungovernable will not restore you to office. Make no mistake about that. This impasse is purely political and it must be addressed politically. Do not allow anyone to shed blood on your behalf.

It is no longer time to take advice from those who have scores to settle with Wike and Tinubu. The counsel of Ahithofel with which they have held you hostage has failed. And it will not work at any time. Let those people fight their own battles, but don’t allow yourself to be used as a cannon fodder anymore. Those disgruntled politicians you see running around are not interested in you. They are working to feather their own political nests.

Now this – the social media is awash with all manner of interlopers – analysts, theoreticians, legal luminaries, authorities in constitutional interpretations, experts in everything and, in a nutshell, all manner of hoodlums. Most of them do not know what they are talking about. They are noise makers and nothing more. Do not allow their ignorant display to give you a false sense of security. In a nutshell, they have nothing to offer you.

Your Excellency, your job is at stake and it is time to be wise. I will repeat, Sir – do not be swayed by social media legal experts and know alls, who keep screaming obscenities just to fill the space. The social media did not make you Governor and it cannot reinstate you back to office. Their noise has limits and it fizzles out ‘when the jungle matures..’

I meant this to be a brief letter, Sir, and I hope it helps you find the way to approach and deal with the situation at hand. I apologize if some of the words sound harsh, but I believe a spade must be called by its proper name. If gratitude is a debt you owe, then it is one duty must demand that you pay.

While praying for God’s blessings and guidance upon you, accept the assurance of my very warm regards.

March 23, 2025
Rivers: Ibok-Ete Ibas orders payment of outstanding LG staff salaries

The Sole Administrator of Rivers, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has directed the Heads of Local Government (LG) Administration to take all necessary steps to ensure payment of outstanding LG workers’ salaries.

Ibas made the remark while meeting with the Heads of Local Government Administration and the leadership of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Rivers chapter, in Port Harcourt on Friday.

He described as unfortunate the non-payment of the workers salaries for February and March but attributed the situation to the withholding of the monthly allocations to the state following the Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme Court had also Feb. 28 annulled the LG council election of Oct. 5, 2025.

Ibas said that the withheld allocations had been released, adding, ‘’I sincerely feel the pain of these workers, many of whom have endured months of financial strain.

‘’I hereby issue a directive that all the necessary steps be taken to ensure that these salaries are paid with no further delay.

He said the LG, being the third tier of government and closest to the people, had the sacred responsibility of ensuring that councils’ affairs run with utmost care, respect and dedication to the people’s welfare.

“As leaders, we must feel the pains of our people and offer them a more positive, inclusive and transformative leadership.

‘’This is the mandate I have accepted and it is the standard I expect from all of you.

“To this end, I hereby direct further that all Local Government Areas furnish my office with wage bills by way of briefing through the office of the Head of Service,” he said.

Ibas said that the briefing by the head of service would enable him acquaint himself with the situation as would enable deal with such matter.

He directed that all such submissions should be supported with relevant documents to provide clarity and ensure accuracy.

Ibas pledged to promote the culture of transparency and accountability, warning against reckless spending of public funds at the local government levels.

Ibas also stated that transparency and accountability would remain the watchword of the new administration in all engagements and activities.

“My administration will not tolerate any form of recklessness, abuse of office or misuse of public funds; henceforth, there must be accountability and value for money.

“I have just six months, but we must ensure that the people of Rivers State deserve to see how their money is used and it is our duty to ensure that every kobo is accounted for,” he stated.

Ibas said that he was already working out the necessary modalities that would ensure effective monitoring of accountability.

He said that no efforts would be spared in taking decisive actions against anyone who would be found wanting in financial dealings at the local government councils.

He said that his administration would ensure that every decision made, every policy implemented and every action taken would be guided by the principles of transparency, accountability and service to the people.

Ibas urged them to embrace the principles and make them the corner stone of their leadership in their respective local government areas.

According to him, leadership is about service and sacrifices to the people and not about comfort or personal gains.

He stated that Rivers people deserved the best of service from those who were saddled with responsibilities of public leadership and must do so selflessly and tirelessly.

Ibas urged that those who were not willing to make such level of sacrifice to willingly excuse themselves from public responsibility, or otherwise embrace the change that had dawn.

He also urged them to rise and provide the people with the effective leadership they deserved, charging them to see themselves as change agents, and the architect of the future being sought for.

“Let us therefore work together to ensure that the people of Rivers State feel the impact of good governance in their lives,

“Let us therefore uphold the highest standard of integrity in all that we do, refusing to be compromised by personal interest or external pressure,” he said.

In an address, the President of NULGE, Rivers chapter, Mr Clifford Paul, who is also the Head of LG Administration of Port Harcourt LG council, acknowledged that workers were not paid for about two months.

He lauded the Sole Administrator for directing the immediate payment of their salary.

Paul said that Rivers State had experienced slow development with the political conflicts creating much tension but expressed hope that with the sole administrator on the saddle, greater peace would return back to the state.

He, however, pledged their unalloyed support to the course of peace and stability in the state.

March 22, 2025
Rivers State Emergency Rule: A different view – By Azu Ishiekwene

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State on Tuesday surprised me for reasons different from those for which he has been severely criticised.

The mildest criticism is that Tinubu’s failure to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order was responsible for the crisis. The more severe criticisms range from accusations that the president has subverted constitutional rule to charges of potential destabilisation at the behest of Wike.

A common point of agreement is that a civilian president should never have to declare emergency rule. That is the ideal. But Rivers State before Tuesday presented a dire and complicated situation that stretched idealism to its elastic limits.

Chaos in slow motion

It’s convenient, especially for those who promoted and profited from the crisis, to pretend otherwise. Still, after the 27 state lawmakers loyal to Wike issued an impeachment notice, the outcome, if Governor Siminalayi Fubara had been impeached, might have been far worse for the state than can be contemplated under emergency rule. The proclamation was an unsolicited stitch in time.

If oil pipelines were already being blown up and militants deploying as the impeachment notice reached Fubara, what would have happened if the process had carried through? Rivers State has been chaos in slow motion for nearly two years, the only thriving business in the state being the politics of those who support Fubara and those who are against Wike.

The Supreme Court’s judgment invalidated the budget passed by Fubara and nullified the local government election. It affirmed the position of the 27 lawmakers, making Fubara’s government a lame duck. Emergency rule saved the governor from gunpoint, created a pause for the people to get their lives back, and made room for Wike and Fubara to stop and reflect. It’s a messy situation, but the counterfactual could have been worse.

Between Wike and Fubara

Popular media has framed Fubara as the victim of a grasping, unforgiving godfather, which suits his comportment. But during this inconvenient pause, it might be helpful for the governor to reflect on what he might have done differently, something that pressure by those egging him on for their narrow, selfish reasons might not have given him the space to do.

In the public imagination, control of the state’s “political structure” is at the heart of the dispute between Fubara and Wike. Whether that is so, whether it’s about who the “authentic” party leader is, or it is more than what the public knows, Fubara and Wike know. We can only guess. But they both know.

Open war

The open war started after Fubara’s swearing-in when the governor wanted to install his candidate as speaker in the House of Assembly but failed. What was the point of demolishing the State House of Assembly complex built for hundreds of millions of naira with taxpayers’ money in December 2023 simply on the suspicion that the lawmakers were planning to impeach him there? Why did the governor think it was right to convene four of 31 lawmakers in his office to present the appropriation bill and then go on to implement it?

And why, after the peace deal brokered in Abuja, was it difficult for him to be his own man, free himself as the hostage of opportunistic local politicians and self-appointed opinion leaders and implement the decisions reached instead of caving into busybodies in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) whose primary interest is to continue the unfinished war of the 2022 Convention by other means?

Atiku No 2.

The PDP leadership and their cousins in Labour have never forgiven Wike for supporting Tinubu’s election. They have been quite loud in condemning the state of emergency. That’s their job as opposition. However, if the PDP is letting its testosterone rush get into its head and impair memory, we may need to remind the party how we got here.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been quite vocal in condemning emergency rule in Rivers State. In his earnestness, he has forgotten that the government in which he was the Number Two man had a shambolic record of infidelity to constitutional rule. And that is saying it nicely.

One can argue that President Olusegun Obasanjo’s proclamation of emergency rule in Plateau State in 2004, though controversial, was inevitable because of the horrific deaths caused by the sectarian violence, which led to reprisals in other states. Yet, former Governor Joshua Dariye’s suspected links to the crisis made his suspension inevitable.

Bayelsa playbook

Atiku could not have forgotten that when his boss did it again in Ekiti State two years later, it was mainly to facilitate Obasanjo’s hijack of the state for his political convenience after lawmakers claimed to have impeached the governor. Fayose had become a thorn in his side, and he vowed to remove him by all means, fair and foul.

Atiku may argue that he had been estranged from the government then and could not bear vicarious liability. However, he remained a part of the government until the end and must endure its glory and shame.

Or perhaps he would have preferred the impeachment of Fubara from Obasanjo’s Bayelsa playbook? In that case, instead of an emergency rule, Tinubu would have provided a haven where the majority 27 lawmakers would have met under heavy security protection to remove the governor, as Obasanjo did under slightly different circumstances, in the case of former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Amaechi’s forgotten diary

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, a longstanding foe of Wike, also weighed in, condemning the “power grab’s illegality.” He has a right to intervene and speak his mind. However, since he called the proclamation “an affront” to the rule of law and a power grab, it might be helpful to remind him of a typical, but by no means isolated, example from his record as governor.

In 2013, when the position of chief judge in Rivers State was vacant, Amaechi appointed and swore in the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Agumagu, against decency and the provisions of law. He joined issues with the National Judicial Commission (NJC), which was at its wit’s end to restrain him and keep him on the path of common sense. The state judiciary reeled under Amaechi’s blatant affront for one year, something he now conveniently forgets.

Apples and oranges

Parallels have been drawn between the state of emergency in Rivers State and the one in 1962 during the Western Region crisis, especially as the latter was believed to have led the country down the slippery slope that eventually ended in the removal of the Tafawa Balewa government and the Civil War.

The underlying currents may be similar – local politics gone rogue – but the consequences or potential consequences are not. Constitutional lawyers can debate the legal triggers because of the lack of clarity in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, compared with the 1960 Constitution, a pre-Republican document that gave the prime minister more expansive powers.

While the emergency rule in the Western Region was mainly an opportunistic intervention by the federal government to undermine the Obafemi Awolowo-led opposition, the emergency in Rivers State was an inevitable step to prevent a potential descent into chaos, where the governor was not an innocent bystander.

Water in the coconut

Since 1999, two administrations – Mohammadu Buhari’s and Umaru Yar’Adua’s being the only exceptions – have proclaimed emergency rule. Apart from 2013, when President Goodluck Jonathan left the governors of the three affected states in place because they had no link to the crises in their states, complicity has affected the scope of the application of emergency rule.

When Obasanjo threatened an emergency in Lagos, Tinubu said it was unacceptable because he was doing his best as governor to tackle the sectarian clashes in a small part of the state then. In Rivers, the governor is a part of the problem.

Those opposed to the proclamation should say how to leave Fubara in place and extract the water of peace from the coconut of Rivers State without breaking the shell on the head of the people.

March 21, 2025
Okpebholo distances self from S/South govs position on Rivers emergency rule

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo has dissociated himself from the South-South Governors Forum’s stance on the State of Emergency in Rivers.

Okpebholo disclosed this in a statement issued in Benin by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Thursday.

He said that he was neither consulted nor informed about the position taken by the forum.

It would be recalled that South-South Governors’ Forum had reacted to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, describing it as “condemnable”.

Okpebholo stated that he recognised the right of other South-South governors to take a position on the matter.

However, he dissociated himself from any statement opposing President Bola Tinubu’s decision on Rivers political imbroglio.

“It is clear that President Bola Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, understands the issues at stake,” he stated.

He expressed his full support for the President’s actions aimed at bringing lasting solution and peace to Rivers and the South-South zone.

March 20, 2025
Rivers Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas assumes duty

The Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has assumed duty in the state.

Ibas, in an interview with journalists in Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday, said he would meet with the Head of Service, Permanent Secretaries, and Service Commanders to get formal briefings.

Responding to his reception by Rivers people upon his arrival at the airport, Ibas said that Port Harcourt had always been his city and everything appeared calm in spite of the current political situation.

He stated that Port Harcourt City would go back to where it had always been.

He commended journalists in the state for what they had been doing in the line of their duties, and assured that he would address the press later.

March 20, 2025
Senate to debate Rivers emergency declaration

The Senate will, on Thursday, debate a motion on the proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers, says Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim.

Ibrahim, Chairman of the Senate Inter-Parliamentary Committee, confirmed this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

A motion titled ‘Proclamation of State of Emergency in Rivers,’ sponsored by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, was listed on Wednesday’s Order Paper but not debated.

Ibrahim gave an assurance that the motion would be debated and considered during Thursday’s Senate plenary without further delay.

He explained that the holy month of Ramadan being observed was a factor for consideration.

“Tomorrow morning, members will be informed. They are fasting and praying today at home,” Ibrahim stated while addressing journalists.

“By 10 o’clock, they will be present, and we shall commence debate. Life and security matters are serious and cannot be treated lightly,” he added.

The senator defended President Tinubu’s actions, clarifying that democratic institutions were only suspended—not dissolved—for six months to resolve the Rivers crisis.

“The President did not dissolve democratic institutions. Suspension for six months allows time for dialogue and resolution,” Ibrahim emphasised.

He said the suspension enables stakeholders to identify differences and foster peace in Rivers, which is essential for national stability.

Ibrahim argued that this action is constitutional and mirrors global practices during times of security threats to democratic order.

He dismissed suggestions that the Senate adjourned without debating the motion due to failure to form a two-thirds quorum.

According to Ibrahim, democracy is about participation, and there were enough senators present to proceed with deliberations.

“Two-thirds of the Senate equals 73. On Tuesday, 78 senators signed the register, including presiding and principal officers,” he clarified.

He said the Senate allowed more members to attend Thursday’s session to express their views on the critical motion.

“Democracy values numbers and participation. We decided to adjourn for more inclusivity.

“Today, 68 senators signed in. Although there are 10 Senate leaders to reach, we had more than a quorum.

“We could have proceeded, but avoided passing the proclamation while members were fasting or absent, to prevent misunderstandings,” he said.

March 20, 2025