BY MATTHIAS OGBAGAH

DELTA – The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspension of the state, Mr. Simi Fubara, his deputy and entire members of the state house of assembly of River State.

PANDEF lamented that President Bola Tinubu stabbed the Niger Delta region in the back following the imposition of a state of emergency on Rivers State and the subsequent removal of Governor Simi Fubara, his deputy and Rivers State House of Assembly lawmakers, described it as a stab in the back to the Niger Delta people and betrayal of PANDEF.

The Board of Trustees and expanded National Executive Committee of the Forum in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, signed by HRM Alfred Diete-Spiff, Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, and Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, which was made available to journalists on Thursday, condemned the shocking declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday.

The PANDEF called on the National Assembly led by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to show courage and be on the side of the truth by rejecting the onslaught on democratic governance, which has never been exercised with such brazenness.

The communique reads, “PANDEF, as a respectable body of very senior and eminent citizens of this country representing the interest of the people of the South-South, will continue to sue for peace and work with all sides and the Federal Government towards its attainment in Rivers State and the entire South-South zone.

“We’ll continue to follow developments and take any other constitutional remedies open to it.

“After exhaustive deliberations, we wish to note that the actions taken by the President have sadly occurred barely one week after he received a high-level South-South delegation of top traditional rulers, former Governors, former Service Chiefs, former Ministers, former Senators, etc, numbering over 100 eminent Nigerian personalities.

“At that occasion, the President appreciated the peace efforts of the PANDEF Peace and Reconciliation Committee headed by Obong Victor Attah, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and encouraged them to continue with the reconciliation activities and report progress back to him.

“He charged the PANDEF Peace Committee to encourage the Governor to comply with the now heavily flawed Supreme Court Judgement to present the 2025 budget to the State House of Assembly.
“Despite public outcry over that unwholesome attitude, there has been no caution on the said Minister to the knowledge of the Nigerian public.

“On 13th March, the Governor wrote to the State House of Assembly intimating to them of his willingness, in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment and the directive of Mr. President, to present his 2025 Budget to the Assembly on Wednesday, 19th March 2025.

“The following day, 14th March, the House of Assembly announced that they were proceeding on an indefinite adjournment. It’s curious that while on this adjournment, the House started impeachment proceedings against the Governor and his Deputy by issuing a Notice of Gross Misconduct.”

PANDEF noted that it wrote Mr. President on 17th March 2025 to express its frustration over the non-cooperative attitude of the Minister of the FCT and the House of Assembly in rebuffing all efforts by the Governor to present the 2025 budget in line with the Supreme Court judgment and Presidential directives.

“It was quite alarming that on 18th March, the day before the Governor was due to present the budget, the President Bola Tinubu, declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, thereby unilaterally removing the Governor, his Deputy, and the entire House of Assembly.

“This declaration of a state of emergency negates the avowed positions of President Tinubu, as was widely publicized during his interventions in May 2013 when former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa at the height of Boko Haram insurgency even without removing Governors.

“Although reference has been made to the blow-up of a pipeline which PANDEF condemns, the question is if this is the first time such occurrences have happened in Nigeria and even in the life span of the present administration. So, why militarise Rivers State, even before security forces have carried out investigations to determine the cause of what has happened, and why use the incident as an alibi to declare a State of Emergency?

“Many Nigerian states, particularly in the North East, North West, and North Central geopolitical zones, live with daily assaults on their very existence. Yet, no state of emergency has been declared!

“Why declare a state of emergency when the Court of Appeal has just reserved its ruling on the fate of the 27 members of the House of Assembly which was pending before it and was not sufficiently concluded by the Supreme Court judgment and just a few days when a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt commenced hearing on the same matter.”