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 and partisan” move allegedly designed to favor Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
While reacting to questions raised by news men in Yenagoa, the President of INC, Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba accused the president of the FRN of ignoring wise counsel and implementing a premeditated plan. According to 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 orchestrated thanksgiving on a Saturday and the hosting of Wike in 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 appointee from Rivers State who support him—remains in office as FCT Minister and federal appointees. Where is justice in this equation?
“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 well-being. The INC wonders if a 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 tolerated.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ekpo (Rtd.) has been appointed as the sole administrator of Rivers State following the removal of all elected officials. However, critics continue to ask why Wike, who has been at the centre of the crisis, remains unaffected by the presidential decision.
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.
