By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former president Goodluck Jonathan has said whatever happens in Rivers State will have deep and far-reaching ramifications in the entire Niger-Delta region of the country, triggering mass reactions from the public.
Jonathan, who refers to the state as the “gateway” to the Niger/Delta states, noted that Rivers State occupies a strategic position in the oil-rich region.
The former president said this while calling on political actors, security operatives and judiciary to eschew actions or moves that could escalate the political crisis rocking Rivers State.
Jonathan sounded this warning in a statement issued on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle at the weekend.
He urged all parties involved not to sacrifice peace and the stability of democracy on the altar of personal ambition.
“The political happenings in Rivers State over the past few days are a cause for serious concern for everyone, especially lovers of democracy and all actors within the peace and security sector of our nation,” Jonathan said.
This warning seems to have aligned with many who hail the move as the right comments from a statesman. One reader simply wrote: “ Yes, this is what is expected of an elder statesman who is concerned about developments in his country. Let those involved heed his timely warning.”
Another commentator while applauding the declaration said the political gladiators involved in the ongoing Rivers crisis need to pull back now to avoid further crisis.”
Jonathan warned that elections were the foundation of democracy and must be respected as a process that reinforced the trust of citizens in their government.
The former president stressed that each election, whether at the national or sub-national level, was vital to the integrity and progress of democracy.
The former president called on all stakeholders, particularly state institutions, to uphold the democratic culture by ensuring peaceful and credible elections.
“Institutions of the state, especially security agencies, must refrain from actions that could lead to a breakdown of law and order. Rivers State represents the gateway to the Niger Delta, and a threat to peace in the state could have huge security implications for the region,” he cautioned.
The former president also called on the National Judicial Council to take decisive action against the proliferation of conflicting court orders, particularly those involving concurrent jurisdictions.
According to him, unchecked judicial interference could damage the judiciary’s credibility and undermine democracy.
Jonathan also expressed fear that what is happening in Rivers State is reminiscent of how the political turmoil that engulfed the Old Western Region started.
The crisis in the Old Western Region which resulted in the ugly but historic “operation weti e”, literally translated in English as “set it ablaze with reckless abandon”, started like a spark and eventually became a conflagration.
The supremacy battle between two key political actors: Obafemi Awolowo, the first premier of the region and his successor, Ladoke Akintola led to the crisis.
Awolowo and Akintola who had taken the reins of power from him in 1959 on the political platform of Action Group (AG) became estranged allies.
Akintola formed the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) which was in an alliance with the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) the party that then controlled the federal.
SLA, as Akintola is famously known even in death, contested and won, by hook or by crook, through federal might
In mid-1962 Awolowo’s supporters repudiated Akintola as a party leader and had him replaced as premier.
The Northern-dominated federal government, however, hostile to Awolowo, declared a state of emergency in the region and restored Akintola to his post (1963) and this led to the crisis that nearly consumed the defunct Western Region.
It appears a similar drama is playing out in Rivers State where a supremacy battle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike has led to pervasive tension in the state
Wike, despite being a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a serving Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under an All Progressives Congress controlled government
Wike, like Akintola, appears to have federal support and is seemingly using it in his favour
The immediate past governor of Rivers State insisted there shouldn’t be local government elections in the 23LGs in the state while his erstwhile ally was bent on conducting the elections.
The elections, marred with some measure of violence, had been conducted as of the time of filing this report.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Chairman, Justice Aldophous Enebeli (retd.), has since declared 22 chairmanship candidates of the Action Peoples Party (APP) winners in as many local government.
The APP is believed to be backed by the incumbent governor Fubara.
It is yet to be known what comes next after this declaration.
