*Says National Assembly Flagrantly Disobeyed Constitution’ in Rivers Emergency Vote”
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In a revealing interview on Arise TV, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development, shed light on the growing political crisis in Rivers State, highlighting the involvement of the judiciary and key political players in undermining Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration. Ibrahim suggested that the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, was one of the central forces working against Fubara, contributing to the political turmoil in the state.
Ibrahim accused the judiciary of becoming an active player in the crisis, asserting that the Supreme Court granted all of former Governor Nyesom Wike’s prayers while rejecting those of Fubara. “The Judiciary intervened in this thing. It went right to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court granted all of Wike’s prayers and rejected all of Fubara’s prayers,” Ibrahim stated. He expressed concern about the sudden release of funds previously withheld by the Supreme Court, despite no official reversal of its position, questioning the speed with which the money was released: “It means clearly that this is a political game of high stakes.”
Ibrahim also pointed to what he described as a coordinated effort involving President Bola Tinubu, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the judiciary, and the National Assembly. He warned that these developments represent a direct threat to Nigeria’s federal system, where the president cannot arbitrarily remove a state governor. “In a federal system, the president cannot remove a governor he’s quarreling with. When you do that, you are threatening the very foundations of federalism,” he stated.
The political analyst also criticized President Tinubu’s biased interventions in the crisis, noting that the President consistently blamed Governor Fubara while ignoring the role of his ally, Wike. Ibrahim recalled the first meeting between Fubara and President Tinubu, where the Governor was reportedly presented with an agreement full of Wike’s demands, without any concessions for Fubara. “At the level of the President himself, throughout his interventions in this matter, he has always laid blame with one party, Fubara, and never mentioned any issue about his own ally,” Ibrahim stated.
Ibrahim was particularly scathing about Wike’s public statements, accusing the Minister of aggressively asserting his dominance in the state’s politics. “Every day Wike is on TV saying he owns politics in River State and he will smash anybody who challenges that,” Ibrahim remarked, adding that any suggestion that Wike is not a factor in the crisis was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The academic also sharply criticized the National Assembly for its role in the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State, alleging that the legislature had violated constitutional procedures. Ibrahim pointed out that the National Assembly’s approval of the state of emergency was constitutionally flawed due to the absence of a proper vote count, which is required by the Constitution. “The Constitution says count those who say yes, count those who say no… How can you do a vote and you don’t give us numbers?” he questioned.
Ibrahim further dismissed the National Assembly’s efforts to mediate the crisis, labeling their proposal for a reconciliation committee as “poetry.” He criticized the legislature for offering symbolic gestures of peace while ignoring the substance of the crisis, saying, “They’re saying ‘okay, we’ve won all our points, so let’s give some words that will show oh, we want peace, we want reconciliation.'”
The political scientist issued a stark warning about the broader implications of the crisis for Nigeria’s democracy, cautioning that the actions of the four forces—Wike, Tinubu, the judiciary, and the National Assembly—could set a dangerous precedent. “I think there’s a real threat to Nigerian democracy, and the success of this move by these four forces that coalesced shows that in this country today no governor is safe,” Ibrahim warned.
Ibrahim also questioned the legitimacy of Fubara’s suspension, stating that the accusations against him lacked merit. He noted that Fubara had been blamed for insecurity in the state, despite not having control over the security forces, and described the situation as an abuse of power: “This is use of naked power because you feel you have reached a position where you are in total control of available forces and therefore you can do what you want.”
The political analyst called for a return to the fundamental principles of Nigeria’s federal system, stressing that the president must respect the autonomy of state governors. “The first issue is that Nigerians are deeply committed to federalism as a political system. In a federal system, the president cannot remove a governor he’s quarreling with,” he said.
Ibrahim urged President Tinubu to reconsider his approach, emphasizing the potential consequences of pushing the situation to a breaking point. “I call on the president to think about the political implications in terms of risk analysis, and that risk analysis will point out to the president that you may push these people to a point of no return,” Ibrahim concluded. He also suggested that reconciliation was possible, particularly given Minister Wike’s role in the federal cabinet, urging the President to take control of the situation and find a genuine pathway to peace.
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