By editor
Women of Rivers On Friday , April 11, took to the streets in Port Harcourt, the state capital to reject the Emergency Rule and what they referred to as ” the overreach and political conquest of the Sole Administrator,Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas ( Retd)
On March 18,2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers suspending Governor Siminilayi Fubara, his Deputy and the Assembly for six months citing threats to national interests which many analysts and prominent Nigerians home and in the Diaspora have described as imaginary, and demanded an immediate reversal of the president’s order.
But while the governor has long moved away from Government House in obedience to the Emergency Rule, the suspended members of the House of Assembly have refused to move out of their quarters and were recently reported to be gallivanting in the United Kingdom with their sponsor, Nyesom Wike Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
On his part, Ibas,who is believed to be handpicked and doing the hatchet job for Wike’s political relevance in the state has sacked all political appointments made by Gov Fubara and allegedly replaced them with relations and friends of Wike.
A recent motion- exparte granted by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt restraining the Sole Administrator from appointing caretaker committees in Local Government Councils were rebuffed by Ibas and others summoned to appear before the court.
This development has highlighted serious concerns about the high-handedness of the political class in issues of the rule of law
In the face of this, the Rivers Unite Group In a statement signed by Dr Nancy Chidi Nwankwo,Tamunobelema D. West end Cynthia Amadi said their” total rejection of the emergency rule stemmed from the fact that “the imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security” but “a clearly politically motivated manoeuvre aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy “
They therefore called for immediate restoration of democratic leadership in the state.
The statement read:
STATEMENT BY RIVERS WOMEN ON THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE DURING A LIBERATION WALK AND CALL FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
We, the women of Rivers State, gathered under the banner of justice and democracy, express our deep concern and total rejection of the recent declaration of a state of emergency in our beloved state. This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but is clearly a politically motivated maneuver aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy.
The overreach of 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.
We find it utterly confounding 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. In these states, terrorists have overrun entire communities, taken control of local governments, and brutally murdered thousands of innocent citizens. Yet, no such declaration of emergency has been made.
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 unconstitutional and provocative actions of the Sole Administrator further expose the underlying political agenda at play. 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.
Accordingly, we make the following demands:
- We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as mothers and wives, to immediately reinstate all democratic institutions in Rivers State, including the return of our duly elected governor, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS.
- We demand an end to this unconstitutional military rule in Rivers State, masked as a state of emergency. It is unjustified, uncalled for, and unacceptable.
- We call upon eminent and 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 Boladei 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.
- We declare that the women and youths of Rivers State can no longer remain silent in the face of intimidation, repression, and disenfranchisement. We will continue to rise in peaceful resistance and demand our right to freedom, justice, and self-determination.
- We call on civil society organizations, human rights groups, and the international community to speak out against this assault on democracy. 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.
Signed
*Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo
*Tamunobelema D. West
*Cynthia Amadi
~ On behalf of Rivers Women
Unite Group
