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By Myke Agunwa
Hundreds of women residents in Rivers State on Monday storms the streets of Porthacourt, dressed on white attire, chanting their support for the emergency rule.
The women gathered at the Garrison Bus Stop in the city centre, Port Harcourt from 8AM singing solidarity songs in support of the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), along Aba Road and marching towards the government house, Port Harcourt.
Recall that last week, another group of women under the aegis of ‘Rivers Women for Sim’ staged a protest against the state of emergency and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
At Friday’s protest, the anti-emergency rule women implored prominent Nigerians, including former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, and Goodluck Jonathan, to intervene in the restoration of democratic governance in Rivers.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency on March 18 in response to an ongoing political crisis in the oil-rich state.
As part of the declaration, Governor Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended for an initial period of six months while Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, a retired naval officer, was appointed to administer the state during the emergency period.
The National Assembly approved the president’s request to declare a state of emergency on Rivers state in a situation that several Nigerians regard as undemocratic.
While the constitution requires two-third of the each of the chambers of the National Assembly to ratify the president’s decision, the lawmakers adopted voice vote when considering it. This prompted many to doubt the integrity of the process.
A coalition of civil society organizations in Nigeria has condemned the declaration of a state of emergency in the Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a threat to democracy and an unjustifiable overreach of executive power.
Speaking at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Christian Onyegbule, representative of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), read the coalition’s statement, rejecting the emergency rule and demanding its immediate reversal.
The civil society groups accused the Federal Government of using the declaration as a political weapon rather than addressing the underlying causes of the crisis. They argued that the measure unfairly punishes the people of Rivers State while emboldening political actors responsible for the unrest.
Further, 11 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have approached the Supreme Court challenging what powers President Bola Tinubu has to suspend a democratically elected structure of a state.
The suit filed by the governors also challenges the declaration of a state of emergency rule in Rivers State.