Tinubu Wades into Rivers Crisis, Orders Police to Restore Peace

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

President Bola Tinubu has waded into the crisis rocking Rivers State, calling on the political gladiators to refrain from setting the Niger Delta state on fire.

Over the weekend, the state government conducted the contentious local government elections, with the Action Peoples Party (APP) sweeping 22 of the 23 chairmanship slots available and the Action Alliance grabbing the Etche Local Government Area of the state.

The exercise was conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) despite opposition from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Sunday, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, swore the elected council chairmen into the office ahead of their resumption on Monday, October 7, 2024, charging them to remain peaceful in the face of provocation.

Today, there were reports of gunshots in a few local government secretariats in Rivers State after the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, reportedly approved the unsealing of the councils by the police, who had earlier manned them.

Worried by the possibility of the crisis degenerating into something else, Mr Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, directed the police to restore peace in the state.

He called on the Governor, political leaders and their supporters to “de-escalate the situation,” urging them not to engage in self-help, which he said does not have a place in a democratic setting.

The President tasked them to “uphold the rule of law, kicking against the burning of public facilities in the state, saying they “must be safeguarded from vandalism.”

The statement said Mr Tinubu “expressed deep concern over reports of arson and explosions in the state,” directing “the police to restore and maintain peace, law, and order immediately.”

He said, “The judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of this election should be no exception.”

Recall that Rivers State has been sitting on a keg of gunpowder following the fallout of Mr Fubara with his political godfather, Mr Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of the state and Minister of FCT.