Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has strongly condemned the Nigeria Police for what he described as high-handedness and the crackdown on peaceful protesters across the state, amidst rising political tension in the South-South region.
This came in the wake of two separate protests held in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area and Ahoada East Local Government Area.
The demonstrations were staged by different women’s groups, reflecting opposing views on the recent declaration of a state of emergency in the state suspending Governor Fubara.
While the Port Harcourt protesters, under the banner of ‘Rivers Women for Peace and Good Governance,’ expressed support for the emergency rule and President Bola Tinubu, the Ahoada East protesters, operating as ‘Rivers Women Unite for Sim’, demanded the reinstatement of Governor Fubara and rejected the sole administrator’s leadership.
The Port Harcourt protest was led by former commissioner for Social Welfare, Mrs. Inime Aguma. The women, mostly dressed in white, marched from Garrison Junction through Aba Road to Isaac Park, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Emergency rule is Constitutional,” “Investigate Fubara’s bloated contracts award,” and “We support Tinubu.”
Speaking to journalists, Mrs. Aguma stated, “Gathered here are Rivers women who need peace in Rivers State. We are gathered here because of the anomalies in our system.
“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.
“We said this because our democratic structure was decimated, the House of Assembly was left comatose and there cannot be any democracy with only two arms of government working.
“We know the doctrine of separation of powers, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. For over two years, the legislature was clamped down; we have a big wound that needs to heal.
“The House of Assembly was burnt down because of rumours of impeachment and while that was going on, the assembly complex was demolished, the taxpayers’ money was spent; that is an aberration.”
She added, “Despite such an incident, there was no investigation. Recently, we have heard the former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, mention some allegations against the former government. We want the police to follow up on such allegations.
“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 turned chaotic after security operatives fired teargas at women opposing the emergency rule and supporting Fubara. About 200 protesters from Elleye and Engine communities were dispersed forcefully by police as they marched peacefully.
As the Ahoada women chanted slogans such as “Ibas leave us alone” and “Our democracy is threatened,” police officers reportedly attempted to block their progress before deploying teargas, causing panic and injuries.
One of the protesters, visibly distressed, 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.
Let the FCT Minister remain in Abuja and leave Sim alone.”
The protest was later marked by emotional scenes, including elderly women collapsing and being aided by others. A video circulating online shows security agents forcefully dispersing the crowd and confiscating protest materials.
Reacting, Jerry Omatsogunwa, Special Adviser to Governor Fubara on Electronic Media, praised the Ahoada protesters and criticized the police and pro-emergency rule demonstrators.
He said, “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.
“You can see old women who came out in Ahoada to exercise their right to protest when they see that things are not going well, the police teargassed them. The police teargassed them to the extent that one of them, an old woman, fainted.
“While the ones in Port Harcourt here that said they support illegality and said they support the King Solomon son-division situation that said let us kill the child so that we can prove the owner, they were guarded, protected and directed by the police.
“So I tell you, those women who protested in Port Harcourt, I think they don’t mean well for the state, and the ones that protested in Ahoada, I say kudos. They are the heroes of democracy.”
He further said, “I think the whole world should keep an eye on the state Commissioner of Police and the sole administrator. When the sole administrator came here, he said there was no problem in the state. 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 political crisis that led to the emergency rule began with escalating conflicts in the state. President Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and members of the State Assembly. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd.) was appointed as sole administrator for six months.
The Senate and House of Representatives approved the declaration via voice vote, sparking a legal battle at the Supreme Court. Eleven PDP governors have engaged 11 Senior Advocates of Nigeria and six additional lawyers to challenge the President’s powers to declare emergency rule and suspend elected officials.
Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), is currently preparing the Federal Government’s response to the suit.
