By
Rahman Owokoniran
The decision by the President to declare a State of Emergency in the middle of a political skirmish in Rivers State is nothing short of a devious scheme, to discerning observers.
The battle for the soul of Rivers State has been on since the last elections held in 2023. The President’s decision appears to be premeditated and very well calculated for tremendous political gains for himself and his party. Interestingly, the two personalities involved in this tussle (Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara) are both caught in a web of lies and deception. They both (Wike and Fubara) need to go back to their respective roots to find a better way to strike the balance between them. They both need to find a common ground to win this fight in the interest of Rivers State. Otherwise, they will both be slaving away, ending up losing it all to a mastermind.
One wonders at the rate at which Rivers State was sliding into the war zone. It was quite unprecedented.
Now let’s assume the 27 House of Assembly members had gone ahead with their plan to impeach the Governor, the end result of the chain reaction could have been unimaginable. It would have been disastrous for all parties involved and the state would have been thrown into turmoil.
The simple truth is all this crisis ordinarily should not have escalated to this level but for the ex-Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who was fueling the flames of the crisis in Rivers State, with President Tinubu folding his hands and watching. It sort of begged the question: Was Wike doing the bidding of the President? Again, one must ask, in a democratic society such as ours, why would the Senate look the other way and tolerate such an abuse of power?
One thing is sure, mitigating this crisis would have been a political and economic decision that will serve to halt the violence and prevent huge economic losses to the state in particular and the Nation in general. After all, it is common knowledge that there are many ways to skin a cat and as such the President could have stopped the crisis without necessarily declaring a state of emergency.
However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the President is not pretending about his intentions towards Rivers State. He has been blatant about his schemes and manipulation and alas the more you look the less you see.
This is not a shouting match from the rooftops and definitely not a match for the weaklings. It is a game of wit and this particular President is determined to fight for his re-election in 2027 -even if this means the takeover of as many states as possible in the South and Rivers State in particular.
We must also remember his remarks to Fubara earlier on, that he couldn’t turn away the gains of 27 assembly members, surreptitiously advising the Governor to surrender to the rebels. I give kudos to Governor Fubara for honoring Tinubu’s call for the resolution of potential conflicts between the Governor and Mr. Wike who happens to be Tinubu’s Minister and the immediate predecessor of the Governor. Governor Fubara gave peace a chance but he was in the company of the wrong set of people who were dishonest. The President is better placed to have them both meet in the middle of the divide and maintain peaceful resolution in the interest of Rivers State. But what will be the President’s gain in that regard?
In his speech declaring the State of Emergency in Rivers, one thing evident in the speech is the context of the President as well as his position. He practically held Fubara responsible for the problems in Rivers State, while ignoring the actual fact that Wike was the one who had been behaving like a spoilt brat whose feeding bottle was taken from him. How can Wike demand for an extension of his tenure as Governor of Rivers State? More so his role as the godfather is not recognized by our Constitution. And how can a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the APC superintend over the state of affairs of another party PDP?
The President might have been blind-sighted by the Supreme Court’s pronouncement on the judgement of related matters in Rivers State. But he had firsthand knowledge of the problem that led to the crisis in the state.
In-depth reflection of the crisis in Rivers State is suggestive of the fact that there is more to it than meet the state’s demands. The President’s remarks in his emergency declaration speech was tailored to his script for the takeover of Rivers State. The question therefore remains whether or not the President’s emergency declaration was in the best interests of Rivers State and Nigeria? Even if the above is affirmative, he still has to comply with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
And what about the Judiciary’s role in all this matter? Did the Judiciary meet the minimum standards in its dispensation of justice?
What about the legislative branch of government? Are legislators able to provide succour and comfort for the people of Rivers State? Did they even show any concern about the situation in the state?
What an irony that the President of this great nation can inflict such pressure on our democracy. Nigeria is supposed to be governed by law and order as enshrined in the Constitution of the country. The President’s action or inaction is consequential to defining democracy, progress and the rule of law in this nation. Our democracy remains fragile and very much at the mercy of the presidency.
Again we must ask the question, what is the role of the National Assembly in all this charade? The Senate in this instance has to stand firm and confront this issue and nullify the President’s proclamation of the State of Emergency in Rivers State. The Upper Chamber must stand up for the interest of Rivers State by upholding the rights of the people to their liberty and freedom.
This nation is stuck in the crucible with the problem that has plagued our nation since the annulment of our presidential election in 1993. We must cross the Rubicon.
However, overall the ball is in the court of the Senate now. We can only hope that it will do the right thing by nullifying the Ill-Advised and self-serving State of Emergency proclaimed by the President in Rivers State.
Now we see the capturing of Rivers State, what state goes down next?
OWOKONIRAN WRITES FROM LAGOS
