The turbulent and intractable political crisis in Rivers State eventually led to the declaration of state of emergency in the state on March 18 by President Bola Tinubu. The President said that much in his broadcast to the nation. In his bid to restore order in the state that was apparently becoming lawless with pipeline explosions and threats of danger, the President suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all the members of the State House of Assembly for six months in the first instance. Tinubu also appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd) as sole administrator of the troubled state for six months. He has since been sworn-in.
What happened in Rivers State was not totally unexpected. Keen watchers of political situation in the state are aware that something must happen to resolve the intractable political problem over who controls the affairs of the State between Fubara and his political godfather, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and ex-governor of the state, Nyesom Wike. No matter how it is done, the politics of godfather and godson in Nigeria will always elicit its own crisis due to some obvious reasons and factors.
Some of our politicians are too impatient. They dislike keeping agreement. They quickly like to challenge their oga and vice versa. Our politics lacks mentoring and exemplary figures in leadership. The experiment of godfather and godson has always ended in crisis or even chaos in any state in Nigeria. Perhaps it is not part of our culture. Apart from Lagos and Anambra states where one political party has ruled the state for many years since 1999 political dispensation, and where the culture of godfatherism is in vogue, elsewhere in the country, such experiment did not work. It should also be noted that these models are not entirely democratic.
Rivers State since 1999 is known for its political chaos and turbulence. Apart from the administration of Dr. Peter Odili which achieved relative peace in the state and made some modest achievements, transiting to other administrations has always been problematic and even bloody. After Odili’s eight years in office, there was fierce battle for the governorship seat in the state between Celestine Omehia and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Omehia won the election but Amaechi later retrieved it through the electoral tribunal.
After Amaechi, it was a rough fight between Wike and Peterside. Despite every move to stop Wike, he won the poll. His reelection bid was also tough and yet he triumphed. He single-handedly picked his successor, Fubara, and ensured that he won the election. Initially, the going was good and they were enjoying the fine moments until the falcon could no longer hear the falconer and things started falling apart for good buddies of yesterday in the Garden City State.
Godfatherism is not strange in Nigerian politics. It is not peculiar to Rivers State. It has happened in almost all the 36 states in various dimensions. Sadly, every effort to resolve the Fubara/Wike matter failed woefully. Not even court judgements could effectively resolve the matter. Not even the intervention of President Tinubu and elders of the Niger Delta could broker peace between the two warring factions.
Consequently, the declaration of the state of emergency and the suspension of the executive and legislative arms of the government has been condemned by many Nigerians. They opine that Tinubu’s decision in this regard is unconstitutional. They also criticized the appointment of ex-Naval chief as the sole administrator. They have argued that Fubara, his deputy and the lawmakers would have been allowed to remain why the matter will be amicably sorted out within six months.
Some critics said Tinubu would have used the magic he used to settle the fiasco in Lagos State House of Assembly between Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and other legislators. They accuse Tinubu of partisanship in the entire exercise. Both Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the LP have kicked against the state of emergency in Rivers State. Elders of the region have also kicked against it and asked Tinubu to reduce the time-frame.
Some others believe that this matter could have been resolved without a declaration of a state of emergency. They said that Tinubu would have used his power to reconcile the warring parties without invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended). They said that this section did not say that some arms of government should be suspended.
They also said that state of emergency if not well handled could lead to more serious crisis. They cited the 1962 state of emergency in the Western Region, Operation Wetie, the 1966 coup and counter coup and the civil war. The rest they say is now history. Since independence, Nigeria has witnessed about five of such declarations. Since 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo, Godluckk Jonathan and Bola Tinubu have all imposed state of emergency at one time or the other.
For instance, Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on May 18, 2004, declared a state of emergency on Plateau State and suspended the elected governor Joshua Dariye and the State House of Assembly over bloody sectarian crisis in the state that claimed over 2,000 lives. Good Jonathan also declared state of emergency on December 31, 2011 in some local governments in Borno and Plateau states. He also did the same on May 14, 2013 in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa because of rising insurgency. Bola Tinubu declared one on Rivers State following political chaos.
Does state of emergency resolve any problem? Perhaps it does or does not. Can it ensure lasting peace in Rivers State? It may or may not. What the state of emergency has done in the case of Rivers State is that, it has given the mediators and those concerned ample time and opportunity to iron out their differences and amicably settle the rift. It is clear to Fubara and the legislators that only a peaceful settlement of the matter will be good to all of them and the entire people of Rivers State.
The President, the Niger Delta elders and other stakeholders in Rivers State including former governors and leaders must put politics aside and save the soul of Rivers State now. Restoring democratic order in the beleaguered state is what should be uppermost in their mind. The people of Rivers State need peace. Peace in Rivers State will translate to peace in the Niger Delta region and other parts of the country.
