The widespread unethical and unconstitutional acts perpetuated by politicians in Nigeria's democratic governance is quite apparently baffling. In one breath, they disobey court orders, especially when it is not favourable to them, and in another breath, they use favourable, and perhaps kangaroo court order(s), as an excuse to strike their opponents. This leads me to ask: does democratic governance breed crooked politicians? In responding to the above question, Plato's argument that, "in a system in which everyone has a right to rule, all sorts of selfish people who care nothing for the people but are only motivated by their own personal desires are able to attain power". He concluded that "democracy risks bringing dictators, tyrants, and demagogues to power".
Jagaban - the emperor in democratic robe is a brief x-ray of events leading to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's stroke of imperial presidential pronouncement - declaring state of emergency in Rivers State. An act made possible by the suspicious Supreme Court Judgement - was not a mere chess game but a planned and scripted mafia move; with adverse implications that cannot be overlooked!
First, having failed in their bid to get His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, out as Governor of Rivers State, the House of Assembly that had earlier adjourned sitting indefinitely hours after the Governor wrote to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, informing him of his intention to visit the House to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill for consideration and approval, converged to initiate impeachment proceedings on the Governor.
When they realized that the planned impeachment will not work out, considering the ground swell of public support Fubara enjoys, Wike, a Civil Minister, and not President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, and his cohorts, took the war to Abalama, an Ijaw town, for a purported "Thanksgiving", employing about five hundred officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces on red alert - taking over the land, sea and air, with a view to strike and come up with a phantom reason(s) to execute their evil plot. The peace loving Ijaws who were thinking ahead of their enemies, not for fear of defeat, avoided bloodshed in their land.
Then followed the blowing up of Oil Pipelines protected by gun wielding government and private security officers in Ikwerre, (Wike's) and Ogoni Lands, far away from Ijaw Land.
Tinubu's broadcast speech declaring the state of emergency was seemingly prepared days back in anticipation of their dastardly plot. The appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ekwe Ibas Rtd., a friend and close ally of Wike, and the directive that the Administrator is to work under the supervision of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, in which Wike is the representative of Rivers State, instead of the National Assembly, as constitutionally enshrined, is tantamount to Tinubu appropriating to himself the powers to make laws for the Rivers State House of Assembly. Is this not an impeachable offense?!
Sealing their evil plot hurriedly, Tinubu has since constituted himself as the Chief Justice of Nigeria or Chief Judge of Rivers State, by personally swearing-in his handpicked Governor of the State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ekwe Ibas. An appointment that had no legal backing, with regard to approval by 2/3 majority of the National Assembly, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Meanwhile, briefing the Press on March 19, 2025, in defense of the state of emergency declared in Rivers State by Tinubu, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, said that "the Federal Allocations of Rivers State withheld amid the crisis would be released to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas Rtd., appointed to take charge of the affairs of the State by President Tinubu, if he requests for it."
One question that begs for answer is: does the state of emergency set aside the Supreme Court Judgement on withholding Rivers State Allocation from the Federation Account?
Tinubu was not sincere in settling the Rivers State Political Crisis. A simple political dispute that requires simple solution by calling Governor Fubara and Wike, his appointee, to order. Considering the fiat with which Tinubu settled the Lagos State House of Assembly Crisis, his failure to settle the Rivers Crises than declaring an illegal state of emergency is an open display of bias and partisanship aimed at taking over Rivers State through the back door.
When Tinubu earlier intervened in the Rivers State political crisis, it was Fubara and Wike he invited. Therefore, declaring state of emergency in the State, which though falls short of the constitutional requirements, suspending Governor Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu and the State House of Assembly, power not provided for the President in our statute books, and failure to suspend Wike, who is also a key player in the crisis, is a biased decision. This is because Wike's actions contributed significantly to the political crisis, and sparing him from suspension suggests that the President's intervention is favouring his ally, rather than addressing the situation impartially.
By allowing Wike to exploit the economy of Rivers State during his tenure, Tinubu has set himself up for significant political troubles as he approaches the 2027 elections. It is as if he is deliberately walking into a blazing fire, fully aware of the risks. The president views this maneuver as a political tactic to seize control of Rivers State prior to 2027. However, he fails to realize that this misguided approach may ultimately obstruct his chances of success in that crucial year.
Not all revolutions begin with fire; many stem from a growing awareness of the injustices suffered by the people. Tinubu's declaration of the unjustified state of emergency in Rivers State constitutes a serious miscalculation and may create a backlash that jeopardizes his political aspirations.
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, said President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara is illegal and a “dangerous affront” to the country’s democracy.
The NBA President, Adam Osigwe, said on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in a statement that "declaration of emergency does not automatically dissolve or suspend elected State Governments. The constitution does not empower the President to unilaterally remove or replace elected officials - such actions amount to an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s federal structure,".
On his part, the learned silk and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Femi Falana, "while recognizing that Section 305 of the Constitution empowers the President to take extraordinary measures to restore law and order if there is an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation, argued that the extraordinary measures which may be adopted by the President to restore peace and security do not include the suspension of an elected Governor, an elected Deputy Governor, and the dissolution of other democratic structures."
Recall what the former Lagos State Governor, now President Tinubu, said in 2015, which was published on May, 15 Daily Trust: "the imposition of emergency rule in three States is a dangerous trend in the art of governance and a deliberate ploy to subvert constitutional democracy".
That, "by declaring a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, President Goodluck Jonathan 'has intimidated and emasculated' the Governors of these States". "The body language of the Jonathan Administration leads any keen watcher of events with unmistakable conclusion of the existence of a surreptitious but barely disguised intention to muzzle the elected governments of these States for what is clearly a display of unpardonable mediocrity and diabolic partisanship geared towards 2015". In the words of Tinubu quoted above, do Nigerians need a sage to tell us that his intentions are surreptitious but barely disguised to muzzle the elected government of Rivers States for what is clearly a display of unpardonable mediocrity and diabolic partisanship geared towards 2027, or did the self-acclaimed hero of democracy, turned emperor of democracy, changed the rules through constitutional amendment unknown to the people? Perhaps only Godswill Akpabio can better answer the above question!
In concordance with the foregoing, veteran and renowned journalist, Reuben Abati, said, "President Tinubu has committed an Impeachable offence. He has violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even within the purview of the section 305 suspending a Governor and directing a Military Sole Administrator to make laws in a democratic rule. This is an abuse of office."
What bothers me, and which should bother all rational Nigerians is: why declare emergency in a peaceful State like Rivers with no bloodbath or chaos and anarchy? All what has been happening in the State is the supporters of Fubara and Wike that have been entertaining Nigerians with scintillating songs and interesting lyrics that keeps the people smiling in the midst of the agonizing hardship caused them by the harsh economic policies of the Tinubu Administration.
While I don't support and encourage declaration of emergency rule in any of the States of the Federation, the declaration of emergency rule in the peaceful Rivers State by Tinubu, while he has been blind, deaf and dumb towards States that have been flowing with blood on daily basis as a result of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and the carting away of the country's natural resources in broad daylight paints Tinubu as presiding over the country with double standards!
"Injustice to one, is injustice to all"! Hence, the National Assembly was expected to genuinely rise to the occasion, by defending democracy and the people, by overruling Tinubu on the coup against democracy. No, not in Nigeria! In Nigeria, the elected representatives (Legislature) is an appendage of the Executive. They are voiceless, and like cultists, they speak with one voice anytime - always doing the bidding of the Executive, wrong or right. The overwhelming approval of President Tinubu's emergency rule proclamation in Rivers State by the National Assembly is seemingly geared towards laying democracy to rest in Nigeria.
Be that as it is, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Ohaneze Indigbo, Middle-Belt Forum, Pan Niger Delta Development Forum, PANDEF, Ijaw National Congress, INC, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, and all lovers of democracy across the country should as a matter of urgency condemn and reject the state of emergency declared in Rivers State.
The political stakeholders in Rivers State who genuinely care about its future, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, - particularly those from the PDP cadre - and the Ijaw National Congress, INC, should urgently pursue legal action in a competent court of law to challenge the unlawful state of emergency imposed in Rivers State and the suspension of its democratic framework. While this may not guarantee the outcome that the populace yearns for, especially given the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of the Tinubu Administration, it is crucial to prevent a continuation of such actions and to document this resistance for posterity.
Indeed, the political climate in Nigeria - especially as exemplified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State - raises questions about the integrity and functioning of democracy in the nation. The actions taken under the pretext of restoring order not only undermine the rule of law but also set a perilous precedent that could erode the very foundations of democratic governance. By circumventing established constitutional norms, Tinubu risks not only his administration's credibility but also the legitimacy of the political system as a whole.
The complexities surrounding the Rivers political crisis underscore the critical need for a fair and impartial approach to governance. Rather than resorting to measures that appear more aligned with authoritarianism than democracy, it is imperative that political leaders prioritize dialogue, reconciliation, and the empowerment of elected officials. The outcry from various civil society organizations, legal experts, and political stakeholders in Rivers State is a clarion call for unity among Nigerians who cherish democracy - a stark reminder that the rights of the people must remain paramount.
The collective response from the Nigerian populace, civil society groups, and political stakeholders will be pivotal in determining whether the unjust actions of the administration will stand or fall. It is a moment for all those who believe in the principles of democratic governance - transparency, accountability, and the sovereignty of the electorate - to rally together and voice their opposition to actions that threaten to undermine the progress made in Nigeria's nascent democracy.
Therefore, the struggle against injustice in Rivers State serves as a microcosm of a much broader battle for the soul of Nigeria. Whether through legal avenues or civil resistance, it is essential that the citizens of Nigeria assert their rights and stand firmly against a drift toward dictatorship cloaked in democratic clothing. The future of the nation depends on the resolve of its people to safeguard the principles of democratic governance against the onslaught of tyranny, corruption, and political malfeasance. The resistance against such encroachments must be sustained, not just for Rivers State, but as a vital assertion of democracy for all Nigerians, ensuring that the people's voice remains a powerful force against authoritarianism.
Hon. Prince Augustine Edumogiren writes from Ayakoromo, Delta State.
March 20, 2025.
