…Says Ibas creating more problems for our democracy
The National Patriotic Coalition (NPC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to caution the Sole Administrator in Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), over his excesses in the discharge of his duties.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the national coordinator of Activists for Good Governance, Declan Ihekaire and the Secretary of the group, Akintunde Adedeji, said the deliberate action of the Sole Administrator is inimical to the sustenance of our democracy.
The Coalition said the purported probe of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy goes beyond the terms of reference for the proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State.
It urged the Sole Administrator to take advantage of the 11-man Committee the House of the Representatives set up to oversee legislative duties in Rivers state, if he has any axe to grind and not resort to underhanded tactics and undemocratic means.
The Coalition said: “It is our consistent fear and strongly our avowal that every form of Emergency Rule certainly tilts disproportionately towards the abuse of Executive power, which is inimical to the spirit and tenets of democracy and is therefore an affront to the rule of law, the principle of separation of power and the principle of checks and balance, this is exactly what is happening in Rivers State today.
“The purported probe of Governor Fubara and his Deputy goes beyond the terms of reference for the proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State. It is a clear exhibition of gross impulsiveness and unintelligent power, drunkenness, and witch-hunt. This must stop immediately, and the Administrator must focus on what he has been asked to do in Rivers State for the next few months, which is to ensure stability in that State.
“It must be noted that Governor Fubara was only suspended but not removed or expelled, nor impeached and still enjoys certain privileges of his office, which invariably includes his immunity.
“It is preposterous and extremely painful that, ever since his assuming the saddle of ruler-ship, the Sole Administrator has revealed an intolerant and vindictive approach to governance in Rivers State and demonstrated clear animosity against the suspended governor.
“This we have attributed to the level of ignorance and inability of the Administrator to both appreciate and accommodate the fluidity and plasticity of democratic and civil rule, and imbibe team spirit and inclusivity.
“This lack of capacity and intolerance smacks of vindictiveness and an orchestrated grandstanding, making many observers feel that he is working more as a stooge and a rubber-stamp of self-serving politicians, and constituting himself into the problem rather than a solution to the challenges of Rivers State.
“Rather than work towards alleviating the difficulties and ameliorating the social challenges of the people of Rivers State, what the Sole Administrator has engaged in so far is alienating certain groups which he perceived are not good enough, creating sectional differences, clannish and political divisiveness, creating schism and orchestrating and fanning the ambers of social and ethnical division and segregation.
“Mr. President will be failing in his obligation if he does not act swiftly to tame the tide of overzealousness, clannish bickering, divisiveness, and power drunkenness demonstrated by the Rivers State Sole Administrator.
It is completely foolhardy and ridiculous for him to even contemplate the idea in the first instance. What was he thinking? What super hero claims is he trying to achieve? If the Administrator was in any doubt concerning his terms of reference or confused about how to go about accommodating the onerous duties of leading a State, what he should have done was to call for advice or, better still, throw up a resignation.
“This singular act reveals clearly that the Administrator has no business being there, as he lacks the necessary capacity, competence and capability to administer the State, and that Mr. President has equally made a serious mistake appointing him to that position. The Administrator has lost focus, forgotten the main reason why he is in Rivers State and in a bid to please some collaborators, has derailed from the unique and strategic role of stabilising Rivers State and taken to bad politics.
“This is unacceptable, repugnant and tantamount to derailing democracy. We call on the Sole Administrator to take advantage of the Eleven-Man Committee set up by the Federal House of the Representatives to oversee legislative duties in Rivers state, if he has any axe to grind and not resort to underhanded tactics and undemocratic means.
“We call on Mr. President to expeditiously call the Sole Administrator of Rivers State to order and compel him to stop this probe thing as it goes beyond his script.”
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