Women in Rivers State, Friday, protested on the streets of Port Harcourt against the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu, labeling it a “politically motivated” and aimed at undermining the country’s democracy.
The women, who carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Bring Back Sim Fubara,’ ‘Obey rule of law,’ and others, marched along the Port Harcourt-Aba Express Road to the Government House and back to the Isaac Adaka Boro Park.
They said that they gathered to express their concern and total rejection of the move, which they believe was not driven by any genuine threat to national security.
The women criticized Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Sole Administrator, for overstepping his limited powers and revealing a “calculated power grab” under the guise of national interest.
They questioned why the President Tinubu would impose a state of emergency in Rivers State while ignoring states with dire security situations.
The women also condemned the seeming dual system of laws in Nigeria, where one set of rules applies to Rivers State and another to other states.
They argued that the emergency declaration is a clear indication of a political agenda at play, rather than a genuine concern for the welfare of the people.
The group in a statement read by Dr. Mrs. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, a former commissioner in the state, called for the immediate reinstatement of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who they said was democratically elected.
Nwankwo said: “The overreach of the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), is a glaring indicator of this political conquest. His actions, which go far beyond the limited powers of a placeholder, betray the impartiality expected of his office and reveal the real intention behind this emergency rule, a calculated power grab under the guise of national interest.
“We find it utterly confounding that the federal authorities in Abuja, relying on conjecture and manufactured narratives, would choose to descend with the full weight of force on Rivers State, deploying a sledgehammer to kill a fly, while ignoring the dire security emergencies ravaging states such as Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue. In these states, terrorists have overrun entire communities, taken control of local governments, and brutally murdered thousands of innocent citizens. Yet, no such declaration of emergency has been made.”
They however, pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinstate democratic institutions in the state.
They also demanded an end to the “unconstitutional military rule masked as a state of emergency,” which they deem unjustified and unacceptable.
The women are also called for the intervention by respected Nigerians, including former Presidents and diplomats, to prevail upon President Tinubu to reverse his decision.
She added: “We call upon eminent and respected Nigerians—including former Presidents General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as well as distinguished diplomats such as Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Dr. Emeka Anyaoku, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Prof. Tanko Yakassai, Dr. Godknows Boladei Igali, Chief Victor Attah, and Senator David Mark, to urgently intervene and prevail upon President Tinubu to reverse this injustice and restore full democratic governance in Rivers State.”
While vowing to sustain the peaceful resistance, demanding their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination, the women called on civil society organizations, human rights groups, and the international community to speak out against what they described as an assault on democracy.
