By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Aggrieved Rivers State women on Friday April 11, 2025, stormed the streets of Port Harcourt, to protest against the imposition of a State of Emergency on the State.
President Bola Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the Sole Administrator of the State,after suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara his deputy,and members of the state House of Assembly.
The emergency declaration, was the climax of months of political bickering between Nyesom Wike the FCT Minister and his erstwhile protege, Governor Fubara.
However, the development has so far been greeted by widespread opposition and condemnation from across board.
The protesting women under the aegis of Justice and Democracy, insisted on the immediate reversal of the situation in the State.
According to them, the declaration of the State of Emergency was purely driven by political maneuvering aimed at currying unmerited favour in the count down to the 2027 general elections.
The women, who hit the streets in their numbers maintained that contrary to the official claims, the emergency declaration was not done in the wider national interest, but to protect some narrow and selfish agenda of a few political over lords.
In the same vein, the protesters, strongly condemned the actions of the administrators who they accused of clearly overstepping his bounds.
However, the women said they were not altogether surprised at the disposition of Ibas as he is all out to implement the sinister agenda of his mentors.
According to the women, the unconstitutional moves to appoint Local Council Interim Officials ,the dissolutions and reconstitution of the state’s Electoral Commission are all in tandem with the power- grabbing agenda of those that masterminded the emergency rule.
The protesting women whose grievances were itemized and marshaled by their spokesperson, Dr Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, faulted President Tinubu’s rush to proclaim emergency rule in Rivers and turning a blind eye to the serious security challenges in many states, particularly in the North West region of the country.
“The overreach of the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, is a glaring indicator of this political conquest.
“His actions, which go far beyond the limited powers of placeholder, betray the impartiality expected of his office, and reveal the real intention behind this emergency – a calculated power grab under the guise of national interest.
“We find it 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 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 overrun entire communities taking control of Local Governments, and brutally murdered thousands of innocent citizens .
“Yet, no such declaration of emergency has been made”, the women noted in their protesting letter.
They, therefore, called on the President, as a matter of urgency, to lift the State of emergency on the State, and restore all democratic institutions.
They insisted that the present military-style adminstration in the State must be halted ,as there are no justifiable grounds for such a system.
Similarly, they appealed to all well meaning Nigerians, especially former Nigerian presidents to join in persuading the Federal Government to end the unjust emergency rule in Rivers state.
However, the women vowed to sustain the protest ,and peaceful resistance until the siege on the State is lifted.
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