Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has criticized the Nigeria Police over what he described as a high-handed crackdown on peaceful demonstrators across parts of the state. His remarks come amid mounting political unrest following the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich South-South region.
Two separate protests on Monday marked the unrest. In Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, women under the banner of Rivers Women for Peace and Good Governance rallied in support of the emergency rule, while a different group in Ahoada East Local Government Area staged a protest calling for Fubara’s reinstatement.
The Port Harcourt protest, led by former Commissioner for Social Welfare, Mrs. Inime Aguma, began early in the morning at Garrison Junction and moved along Aba Road to Isaac Park. Clad mostly in white, the women displayed placards with messages like “Emergency rule is Constitutional,” “Investigate Fubara’s bloated contracts award,” and “Rivers women need peace in our state.”
Speaking to journalists, Mrs. Aguma emphasized their support for the emergency rule and commended President Bola Tinubu for the decision.
“Gathered here are Rivers women who need peace in Rivers State. We are gathered here because of the anomalies in our system,” Aguma said.
“We also thank the President for declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State. We are grateful and pleased with it and living well with it.”
Aguma argued that the suspension of democratic structures, including the long-standing paralysis of the House of Assembly, necessitated federal intervention.
“The House of Assembly was burnt down because of rumours of impeachment and while that was going on, the assembly complex was demolished… that is an aberration,” she stated.
“Let us not be emotional and sentimental about facts. We have not had a government in Rivers State.”
In contrast, the protest in Ahoada East, which included over 200 women from Elleye and Engine communities, ended in chaos. The women, advocating for Fubara’s reinstatement and rejecting the sole administrator, were dispersed with teargas by security operatives.
The protesters held placards reading “Ibas leave us alone” and “Our democracy is threatened.” Despite attempts by security forces to stop them, they persisted until tear gas was fired, leading to panic and distress.
One woman, emotionally addressing the crowd, said:
“We are here to tell President Bola Tinubu that since he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, it has not been easy. We, the women, are hungry; we are suffering and dying.
“Sim is our hope. We say bring back our Governor. We love him. We say no to emergency rule in Rivers State. We voted for Sim, not sole administrator. We don’t want a caretaker.”
Reacting to the events, Jerry Omatsogunwa, Special Adviser on Electronic Media to Governor Fubara, condemned the unequal treatment of the two protests.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the women in Ahoada for standing and fighting for democracy. And it is like the police have two standards for the same activity right now,” Omatsogunwa stated.
“You can see old women who came out in Ahoada… the police teargassed them to the extent that one of them, an old woman, fainted.
“While the ones in Port Harcourt here… were guarded, protected and directed by the police.”
He hailed the Ahoada women as “heroes of democracy” while criticizing the pro-emergency protesters in Port Harcourt.
“Those women who protested in Port Harcourt, I think they don’t mean well for the state… I say kudos [to the Ahoada protesters]. They are the heroes of democracy.”
He further alleged that the sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (retd.), might have political ambitions elsewhere:
“Maybe he has another agenda because we learnt he is nursing a governorship ambition in his own Cross River State, so he needs to also gather some money just to justify it.”
The crisis in Rivers deepened after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency and suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and members of the state’s House of Assembly. The move was ratified by both chambers of the National Assembly through a voice vote, leading to the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibas as sole administrator for an initial six-month term.
In response, 11 governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have sued President Tinubu and the National Assembly at the Supreme Court, arguing that the emergency declaration and suspension of elected officials were unconstitutional. The PDP governors have engaged 11 Senior Advocates of Nigeria and six other lawyers for the case.
