RIVERS OF INTRACTABLE CRISIS
All the contending forces should please give peace a chance
Apparently in a bid to end the political crisis that has practically paralysed Rivers State in recent months, Governor Siminalayi Fubara invited the Amaewhule-led members of the House of Assembly to a meeting scheduled for yesterday, March 10. This was sequel to the receipt of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgment. The letter stated that discussions would centre on providing a befitting space for the lawmakers to hold their sittings as well as the presentation of the 2025 budget, payment of outstanding remuneration, among other sundry issues. But the lawmakers who pledge allegiance to Fubara’s immediate predecessor and current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyeson Wike, shunned the meeting citing procedural irregularities in the invitation.
The Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly is acting on a recent Supreme Court judgment which affirmed their legitimacy, and nullified the local government election held on 5th October 2024. In a decision many considered controversial, the apex court also ordered the seizure of all allocations from the federation account, and asked the Fubara government to re-submit the budget to the Assembly. Since the February 28 judgement, the Amaewhule-led Assembly has continued to threaten the governor with its newfound authority. Last week, the 27 legislators gave Fubara 48 hours to submit the budget and nullified the appointment of all commissioners and other appointees of the governor. They also asked the governor to submit appointees’ name for screening within 48 hours. The ultimatum expired last Friday.
In the aftermath of the court judgment, some groups expectedly raised their voices, but few are in furtherance of democracy. The voices of those who prophesy doom were rife. Some vowed to bring the state to the brink of a breakdown. A viral video on social media showed some militants armed with AK-47s and other assorted rifles in a forested area, chanting war songs and vowing to attack oil installations and disrupt production. The group accused the Amaewhule-led Assembly of instigating chaos to justify a state of emergency in the state. In response, the Rivers State Police Command vowed to crack down on any threats to national security, insisting that no group has the monopoly on violence.
The present crisis arose from a disagreement barely a few months into the present administration. In later emerged as a fight for turf essentially between Fubara and Wike. While the precise subject of contention remains clouded, political stability and order in the state was largely disfigured. The house of Assembly was factionalised as 27 members defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) that controls the federal government. The remaining five stood behind the state government, and conducted their legislative duties from a place assigned to them from Government House. The House of Assembly had been razed in what was suspected to be arson. While the governor is struggling for political survival, the legislature is battling to find coherence and continued relevance. Earlier attempts by President Bola Tinubu to bring the warring factions to peace were pooh-poohed.
Unfortunately, many people continue to suffer in silence because of the near lack of governance that the crisis has caused. It will now be compounded by the Supreme Court ruling on allocations from the federation account. Rivers remains one of the most strategic states in the federation. It is the cosmopolitan home base of the nation’s oil and gas industry. It is home to the second most important sea access and marine economy in Nigeria. A sickly Rivers State will further depress the nation’s economy. In the interest of the people, we hope that all the contending forces will give peace a chance in the state.
