Women of Rivers, gathered for justice and democracy, and express total rejection of the state of emergency declared over our beloved state.
A demonstration against President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State was carried out by hundreds of women from the state.
On Tuesday, March 18, President Tinubu announced a state of emergency in Rivers state due to the political crises and instability that has been plaguing the state.
Additionally, Tinubu placed Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and other members of the Rivers assembly, under suspension for a term of six months.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who had previously served as Chief of Naval Staff, was also appointed by Tinubu to serve as the sole administrator for a period of six months.
On Thursday, March 20, the National Assembly adopted the proclamation and gave it its final approval.
Along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, the enraged women matched from Isaac Boro Park in Mile 1 to Garrison Junction, causing obstructions to the flow of traffic on the road that is always crowded.
Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, Tamunobelema D. West, and Cynthia Amadi were the leaders of the protest, and they ignored the police barricades that were placed along the route to prevent the peaceful procession from proceeding.
In a statement signed by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, the women demanded that President Tinubu immediately abolish the emergency rule and reinstate Sir Siminialayi Fubara to his position as governor of the state, who was elected legally.
The statement reads, “Women of Rivers, gathered for justice and democracy, and express total rejection of the state of emergency declared over our beloved state.
“This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but clearly a politically motivated manoeuvre aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our democracy.
“The overreach of the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) is a glaring indicator of the 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 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.
“If the National Assembly’s intention was truly to prevent breakdown of law and order in Rivers, a state that has remained relatively peaceful and has recorded no fatal incident, why has it failed to take even more decisive action in states where chaos and bloodshed are daily occurrences?
“Rivers people, especially women, are outraged by what is fast becoming a dual system of laws in Nigeria, one for other states, and another, unjust and repressive, for Rivers. We reject this blatant political invasion and the imposition of emergency rule in its entirety.”