Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, a former National Publicity Secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency in Rivers State.
Recall that President Tinubu, on Tuesday, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and members of the House of Assembly.
In an interview with News Central on Wednesday, the former PANDEF spokesman accused President Tinubu of acting beyond his power.
Sara-Igbe argued that the President lacked the constitutional power to remove Governor Fubara. He stated that the President showed his bias against Fubara from the begining.
According to him, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Rivers State crisis favored Nyesom Wike because Fubara withdrew his case as advised by the President but Wike refused to withdraw his.
“It is very obvious right from the beginning that Mr. President is biased against the Governor of the state. I said this with all authority that first he gave us a lopsided agreement and forced the Governor to implement. It was quite obvious that the Governor obeyed Mr. President while Nyesome Wike, also refused to obey Mr. President. And because Nyesom Wike did not obey Mr. President and the Governor obeyed Mr. President, the Governor withdrew all his court cases. Nyesom Wike refused to withdraw his court cases. That gave Nyesom Wike edge over Fubara. As if that is not enough, the Supreme Court based on that withdrawal gave a judgment against Sim and Rivers State government.
“Mr. President, When PANDEF visited him, insisted that we go to Sim to implement a Supreme Court. But even before then, the Sim had agreed to implement a Supreme Court judgment. The same characters refusing to implement a Supreme Court judgment,” he said.
He questioned why the President refused the suspend the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) whom he had power to suspend, but went ahead to suspend Governor Fubara whom he had no power to suspend.
The Niger Delta Stateman faulted the President’s sincerity in the state of emergency. He added that the sole administrator appointed was Wike’s ally.
“For Mr. President to use Section 305, to declare state of emergency, where there are no problems in Rivers State, it’s not proper. But again, Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, does not empower Mr. President to sack an elected governor or even a councillor. He does not have that power under the 1999 Constitutional as amended. He said he believes in rule of law. Is this what you call rule of law? What he has done is to take excessive power, beyond his authority, to remove the Governor of River State, just to please Nyesom Wike.
“Let us look at it objectively. If people are fighting, Nyesom Wike and Sim. Nyesom Wike is still in his cabinet. Why do you not suspend him? If you want peace, you would’ve suspended Nyesom Wike. But he kept Nyesom Wike there and suspended Sim, who was elected. Nyesom Wike that he appointed, you could not remove him.
“Last week, he encouraged Nyesom Wike to come to River State with the army, the police, the navy, the air force, and all security apparatus. With the hope that the people will react and he will declare state of emergency. That failed. And now they just slept over and thought, oh, we have power to declare state of emergency. And they brought somebody whom everybody knows has been having pictures with Wike as sole administrator,” he added.
