Rivers: Swearing in of sole administrator hasty, ill-advised — Ohanaeze youths

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has faulted President Bola Tinubu for swearing in Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (Rtd) as Rivers State’s sole administrator of Rivers State.

The group’s reaction came as President Tinubu sworn in Ibas as Rivers State’s sole administrator on Wednesday.

In a statement made available to journalists by the National President of the group, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, he said the development in Rivers could throw the entire Niger Delta region into chaos.

Okwu said the President was ill-advised into “placing the interest of one man above the interest of the entire people of Rivers State.”

The Ohanaeze youths said it was shocking that against the clear provisions of the constitution, “Mr President was wrongly advised by people who have ulterior motives.

“We have always known Mr President as a democrat, one who fought for the country’s return to democracy, one who even at some point condemned state emergency in the past, but today, the table has turned.

“This should be condemned by all lovers of democracy and we expect Mr President to reverse it. The constitution clearly spells out how an elected governor should be removed.”

It was also described as shocking the swearing-in of the sole administrator even when the National Assembly has not ratified the state of emergency as clearly provided for in the constitution.

“We are at a loss for the hasty swearing-in of the sole administrator even while the President’s letter to the two chambers of the National Assembly is yet to be read, nor debated.

“It does appear that some enemies of the government are misleading Mr President into taking some wrong decisions. All that is playing out is part of the 2027 politicking and we urge Mr President to weigh the kind of advice coming from people around him.”

Okwu further said it was worrisome that in President Tinubu’s broadcast to the nation, no mention was made about the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

“Everyone knows that Wike is the architect of the crisis in Rivers State. His overbearing attitude on Fubara led to this inglorious situation.

“The same Wike stood against godfatherism when he was governor; but today, he doesn’t want to give the governor a breathing space.

“But curiously, no mention of Wike was made in Mr President’s broadcast. This is totally wrong, we expect that Wike should also be suspended.

“Mr President should as a father handle the Rivers situation with utmost care, just like he did Lagos and Ondo states, where he called the parties and resolved their issues,” Okwu further stated.

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