1 week ago
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Hundreds of Women in Rivers State, on Friday, protested in the major streets of Port Harcourt, demanding restoration of democratic leadership in the state.
The women who were carrying placards in their black attires, and protested along the major Aba Road, rejected the ongoing emergency rule as declared by President Bola Tinubu, following a political crisis between the Executive and Legislative in the state.
They stated that “This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but is clearly a politically motivated manoeuvre aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy”.
Dr Nancy Chidi Nwankwo who spoke on behalf of the women, alleged that the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), “is a glaring indicator of this political conquest. His actions, which go far beyond the limited powers of a placeholder, betray the impartiality expected of his office and reveal the real intention behind this emergency rule, a calculated power grab under the guise of national interest”.
She regretted that the federal authorities in Abuja, relying on “conjecture and manufactured narratives, would choose to descend with the full weight of force on Rivers State, deploying a sledgehammer to kill a fly, while ignoring the dire security emergencies ravaging states such as Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue”.
Nwnakwo stated that the President Tinubu should have proffered a solution or declared a state of emergency in the states where terrorists have overrun entire communities, taken control of local governments, and brutally murdered thousands of innocent citizens, than announcing emergency rule in a peaceful State, despite the political crisis.
The women continued that “If the National Assembly’s intention was truly to prevent a breakdown of law and order in Rivers State, a state that has remained relatively peaceful and has recorded no fatal incident, why has it failed to take even more decisive action in states where chaos and bloodshed are daily occurrences?
The women expressed that the alleged unconstitutional and provocative actions of the Sole Administrator further expose the underlying political agenda at play, adding that “What we are witnessing is not governance, it is occupation. Not democracy, but autocracy.
Today, Rivers people, especially women, are outraged by what is fast becoming a dual system of laws in Nigeria, one for other states, and another, unjust and repressive, for Rivers State. We reject this blatant political invasion and the imposition of emergency rule in its entirety”.
The women who are mainly mothers appealled to President Tinubu, for the immediate reinstatement of all democratic institutions in the State, including the return of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
They also demanded “an end to this unconstitutional military rule in Rivers State, masked as a state of emergency. It is unjustified, uncalled for, and unacceptable.
The women further call on “respected Nigerians including former Presidents General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as well as distinguished diplomats such as Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, Dr Emeka Anyaoku, Prof Ango Abdullahi, Prof Tanko Yakassai, Dr Godknows Igali, Chief Victor Attah, and Senator David Mark, to urgently intervene and prevail upon President Tinubu to reverse this injustice and restore full democratic governance in Rivers State”.
Assuring that they will no longer remain silent “in the face of intimidation, repression, and disenfranchisement”, the women said they will continue to the peaceful protest and demand their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination.
They however, stated that “there is no credible security threat in Rivers State to justify this state of emergency. The narrative being peddled is entirely fictitious, crafted to validate a political takeover.
Rivers State is the heart of the Niger Delta, a region of immense national significance. Peace has prevailed in our communities. We will not allow anyone to steal our voices or subvert our will. Democracy must be restored”, the women added.
Blessing Ibunge
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