Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubaka, has defended the decision of President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, arguing that it was the only viable option to avert chaos, impeachment, and a possible breakdown of governance.
Mr Sowunmi, a member of the opposition PDP, spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s: Sunrise Daily” programme on Monday, where he analysed the soon-to-expire emergency rule imposed in Rivers about six months ago.
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A crisis that reached boiling point
The Rivers political crisis erupted late last year after a bitter fallout between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Their disagreement split the state house of assembly, with lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike clashing with those backing the governor.
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Tensions escalated further when the courts nullified the tenure of local government chairpersons, raising questions over revenue flows and the legality of council structures.
Without a budget passed by the assembly and with the legislature aligned against him, Mr Fubara faced the real possibility of impeachment.
“It is easy for outsiders to assume that if nothing was done, the crisis would have resolved itself,” Mr Sowunmi said. “But that is not true. You had an assembly that was totally not in bed with the governor. You had a court judgment saying they didn’t have a legally valid local government, and another ruling that there was no appropriation budget he could spend. Left unchecked, the natural outcome would have been impeachment.”
Why Tinubu intervened
The PDP chieftain insisted that Mr Tinubu’s action was not only constitutional but also strategic, given Rivers’ place in the federation.
He said, “A president who has also been a governor before, and understands how it can look on the ground, had to step in.
“The truth of the matter is that was the right decision at that time. If not, the governor would have been impeached, one side would have been fighting the other, they would have blown down the assembly. That’s chaotic. And Rivers is significant, because of the amount of oil assets it has. Any leader that knows what he’s doing must step in to say, ‘Okay, let’s find a way to clamp this.’”
The emergency rule suspended the legislature and local government administration, replacing them with temporary structures. According to Mr Sowunmi, the six-month window created space for reconciliation.
PDP, the biggest loser
While praising the intervention, Mr Sowunmi admitted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his own party, suffered the heaviest political setback.
“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.”
Mr Sowunmi also accused political actors of fuelling the dispute rather than seeking peace. He recalled holding a town hall in Rivers at the peak of the crisis to urge reconciliation but said vested interests preferred to “poke” both Mr Fubara and Mr Wike for selfish reasons.
“There are people in this country who like to profit from people’s miseries,” he said. “Rather than figure out how to bring two brothers together, they kept poking Fubara and Wike. They made it worse, until the point where they didn’t have an assembly building, they couldn’t do appropriation, and the crisis became totally unnecessary. Thank God somebody with responsibility and authority stepped in.”
Mr Sowunmi praised Mr Fubara’s early policy efforts, saying they had won public support, but warned that reckless political infighting nearly robbed Rivers residents of progress.
Looking ahead
With the emergency rule expected to end in about a week, the PDP stalwart urged both Messrs Wike and Fubara to put rivalry aside and focus on governance.
“Thank goodness, God, somebody that has responsibility and authority has helped them to rediscover themselves. In the last couple of months, we have seen them attend functions together. I know they will be fine,” he said.
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