Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku
Abubakar, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to impose a state of
emergency in Rivers State, describing it as the only viable step to prevent
impeachment and a total breakdown of governance.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily
on Monday, Mr Sowunmi, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), said the intervention—imposed about six months ago and now set to
expire—was necessary given the depth of the crisis.
A crisis at boiling point
The Rivers political conflict escalated last year
after the fallout between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor,
Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The rift split the
state assembly, nullified the tenure of local government chairpersons, and left
the governor without a budget—fueling fears of impeachment.
“It is easy for outsiders to assume that if nothing
was done, the crisis would have resolved itself. But that is not true,” Mr
Sowunmi said. “You had an assembly against the governor, a court judgment
invalidating local councils, and no appropriation budget. The natural outcome
would have been impeachment.”
Why Tinubu intervened
According to Mr Sowunmi, Mr Tinubu’s decision was not
only constitutional but also strategic, given Rivers’ significance as an
oil-rich state.
“The truth of the matter is that was the right
decision at that time,” he said. “If not, the governor would have been
impeached, one side would have been fighting the other, and they would have
blown down the assembly. That’s chaotic. Any leader that knows what he’s doing
must step in.”
The emergency rule suspended the legislature and local
governments, replacing them with temporary structures and creating what Mr
Sowunmi called “a six-month window for reconciliation.”
PDP, the biggest loser
While backing Tinubu’s move, Mr Sowunmi admitted the
PDP paid the heaviest price.
“The biggest losers to this whole emergency rule is
the PDP,” he said. “Before the emergency rule, we would naturally have had all
the local governments in our kitty. There are consequences to misgovernance,
and PDP must learn from this.”
He accused political actors of fueling the dispute
instead of seeking peace, recalling how vested interests “kept poking Fubara
and Wike for selfish reasons” until the crisis spiraled.
Looking ahead
Mr Sowunmi commended Governor Fubara’s policy
initiatives but cautioned against further distractions. With the emergency rule
nearing its end, he urged both Mr Fubara and Mr Wike to put rivalry aside.
“Thank God somebody with responsibility and authority
stepped in,” he said. “In the last couple of months, we have seen them attend
functions together. I know they will be fine.”
Comments:
Leave a Reply