Rivers Emergency Rule: Tinubu Took A Very Painful Decision – FG

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, stating that it was a necessary step to restore governance and avert further crisis.

Naija News recalls that President Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and all members of the state House of Assembly due to the ongoing political turmoil in the oil-rich state. He also appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as the sole administrator for the state.

In an interview with The Nation, Idris emphasized that the president had no intention of taking over the governance of Rivers State or appointing a new governor.

“Rivers State belongs to the people of Rivers State,” he stated. “Just like all other states have their governors and are functioning, the president also wants Rivers State to function effectively.”

Idris described the decision as “very responsible but very painful,” noting that governance in the state had collapsed.

He highlighted the dysfunction of the state House of Assembly and the serious challenges facing the executive branch.

He explained, “The way democracy is designed in this country is that the three arms of government must work together, and one will be checking the other. So, we cannot have just the executive functioning and say we have a functional democracy. We didn’t have that, and therefore, the president had to act.”

The minister further clarified that Tinubu relied on constitutional provisions to take the necessary action, stressing that the situation had become critical, requiring immediate intervention.

“Those who designed our constitution envisaged that this kind of situation could arise, and that was why they made the provision for it. The president relied on the constitution to exercise his powers and take action,” Idris added.

He emphasized that the president’s decision was in the best interest of the people of Rivers State, aiming to prevent further violence and chaos.

“It would have been irresponsible for the president to allow the slide into violence that we were seeing in Rivers State,” he stated. “At what point would he have intervened? The president had to responsibly step in to ensure that law and order, and governance, were restored in the interest of the people of Rivers State.”

Idris assured that the president would not maintain the emergency rule longer than necessary.

“As soon as he assesses that sanity has returned to Rivers State, he will ensure the restoration of all democratic structures in that state,” he concluded.