Rivers political crisis could cause total breakdown of law and order, says pressure group

The South East South South Professionals of Nigeria says the political events in Rivers state are capable of causing a total breakdown of law and order.

The pressure group accused the federal government and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of working to destabilise democratic institutions in the state.

In a statement signed by Hannibal Uwaifo, the president, and Ireke Kalu Onuma, the general secretary, the group blamed Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), for the “bizarre” crisis.

The group said the Rivers state government has the mandate to organise LGA elections and that security operatives should not be used to truncate the electoral process.

“The ongoing bizarre events in the state orchestrated by the former Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, under the supervision of the federal government and her agencies is not only a disgrace but a recipe for total breakdown of law and order an ill wind that will eventually consume the present regime, if history is anything to go by,” the statement reads.

“Those who are stoking chaos in Rivers state must be reminded that the events that triggered the demise of the First Republic was the attempt to use federal might to muzzle and subdue the regional government albeit through unconstitutional means with the active use of the Nigerian Police and other security agencies.

“This same forceful and irresponsible attempt often built around a single individual’s greed for power and money is the exact situation in Rivers State which must be challenged by all well-meaning Nigerians.

“With the ease with which politicians shop for and get court orders to destabilise the state, the founding fathers of Rivers State and all stakeholders must rise up, shame and say enough to these mercenaries whose only mandate is to steal, bribe and cause chaos.

“The total breakdown of professionalism and obedience to the rule of law has become a common thing under the present police leadership.

“This is a shame, an aberration and a comprehensive assault on the now dwindling democracy in Nigeria.”

WIKE VERSUS FUBARA 

Over the past few months, Wike and Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, have been at loggerheads over the control of the political affairs of the state.

The feud led to a division in the Rivers  house of assembly and a subsequent legal tussle over the assembly’s leadership.

The crisis has also snowballed into a controversy around the ongoing LGA elections in the state.

On September 30, a federal high court in Abuja barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC)

The court also barred the inspector-general of police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the exercise.

On October 2, INEC said it had not released the voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the election, in compliance with the ruling.

However, RSIEC said it had received a copy of the voter register from INEC since 2023.

Amid the controversy, Fubara had insisted that RSIEC would conduct the election and that the court order did not prevent the exercise.

On Friday, Fubara clashed with the police over a claim that officers were attempting to seal off the RSIEC office.