By Dr Louis A. Koko
Mr President, I thank you for preventing the unwarranted and obnoxious intent to impeach the governor of Rivers state, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, according to the statement credited to him by the media.
Though the state of emergency declared was timely and effective in averting a permanent removal from office by the state lawmakers in line with section 188 of 1999 CFRN as amended, it was nonetheless a flawed and undemocratic process employed by your Excellency, Mr President, who is both locally and internationally acknowledged as one of the heroes of democracy in Nigeria.
The clarion call from the good people of Rivers state is that you should lift the state of emergency in the state declared on 18 March, 2025 on democracy day, 12 June 2025 as a honour to the memories of Nigerians who died to ensure that democracy was restored in Nigeria on 29 May, 1999 and the most prominent among them is Chief M. K. O. Abiola, who literally speaking could be said to be your mentor and way-shower.
Rivers State is presently experiencing a gradual meltdown in many facets. Her social and economic matrix are rapidly deteriorating due to stagnation caused by the state of emergency proclamation that allows less than thirty political appointees( the sole Administrator, SSG, Chief of staff and twenty three local government sole Administrators ) to rule the state without democratic structures like the members of the state house of assembly and ward councillors of the local government areas and worst still, without a state appropriation law ( state budget).
The socioeconomic realities in the state are that poverty is increasing, tech crimes like ‘yahoo yahoo and yahoo plus’ are on the rise, sea piracy and cult clashes are on the increase, even in Port Harcourt, especially the Diobu axis of the state capital.
This could be due to the fact that the political dynamics within the political environment in Rivers state driven by elected political office holders and appointees which have helped to increase the flow of financial resources to the grassroots for reducing poverty and criminality was aborted the very day the state of emergency was declared and to worsen the matter, the sole Administrator sacked all appointed board executives and members of the state agencies, governing council members of state owned tertiary institutions, etc.
The negative consequences of these drastic anti democratic actions from you, Mr President and the Sole Administrator are responsible for some of the increasing criminal activities in the state because the boys whom some call thugs and area boys that became PAs , drivers , security guards, etc to the political office holders are now unemployed, hungry and angry , and some might have returned to crime as a way out of the existential threats confronting them during this period of unemployment occasioned by the state of emergency in the state.
The good people of Rivers State are not only emotionally wounded, they are also suffocating under the strong feet and arms of the emergency government and like the Black American George Floyd shouted for nine minutes, ‘I can’t breathe’ under the weight of a racist police officer, Derek Chauvin in Minnesota, in 2020, the good people of Rivers state are shouting ‘we can’t breathe’ under the asphyxiating regime of the emergency rule in Rivers state in 2025, and the only way to allow the oxygen of democracy flow into the political atmosphere of Rivers state and bring life to it, is for Mr President to lift the state of emergency in the state and return the suspended Governor and his deputy and the members of House of Assembly of the state to their rightful positions.
I am very optimistic that this singular action will renew the hope of Rivers People in the democratic process and rule of law under your leadership, Mr President.
- Dr Louis A. Koko
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
