It is as if the sunny days of the Ibas administration as well as those who are reaping huge benefits from an evil contraption that is robbing the Rivers people of a fair chance to self rule are about to come to an end.

Ibas had ventured into the lion’s den and ridden the tiger’s tail when he chose out of the blue to take further steps  to demolish what is left of existing political structures in a peaceful state.

As things are, the centre can no longer hold. Ibas and his administration are now in the eye of a raging political storm.

While the rest of Nigeria is enjoying democracy, Rivers people are under a rule of force.

And Ibas who is apparently aligning with one of the parties whose actions led to the Rivers crisis; who appears in a sense to say to Rivers people what can you do; has further stoked the fire.

Women in Rivers State on Friday, April 11, poured unto to the streets in Port Harcourt to express their displeasure over the introduction of emergency rule by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

They also rejected what they consider the dangerous disregard for the feeling of Rivers people and the  ”overreach” of the Administrator,Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (Retd).

Marching on the streets, the women urged the Nigerian authorities to recall the State Governor who has been placed on suspension in circumstances that are not backed by the Nigerian Constitution.

The action of the women is coming fast on the heels of growing calls by eminent Nigerians, including Rivers elders asking the President who is currently in France to do something about what they see as the reckless actions of Ekwe Ibas who is reportedly acting like ‘a bull in a China shop’.

Chief Rufus Ada George, a prominent elder and former Governor of Rivers State had warned that the Rivers people would no longer allow Tinubu’s Minister, Nyesom Wike to set Rivers State ablaze.

His warning came hours after the National President of PANDEF, Amb. Godknows Igali, had literarily torn Ibas apart, accusing him of overreaching himself.

Chief Ogbonna Nwuke had declared in an interview with Radio Nigeria in Port Harcourt that “the Sole Administrator is handing over the State to Wike through the backdoor.”

He said Rivers people can see that a man who is supposed to be neutral, who is supposed to make the peace, has become increasingly partisan.

Lawrence Oko-Jaja, SAN, said on Lunchtime Politics aired by Channels Television that Ibas had gone beyond his brief, saying that there was nothing in the instrument that brought him to power that gives him the audacity to act the way he is doing.

These voices raised in defence of the future of Rivers State are not alone.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Laureate, Chief Bode George, a former Military Governor and Governors of the PDP have equally condemned the actions of the President and the Administrator of Rivers State.

Why Rivers Women Hit The Street:

Questions are being asked across the country. What are Rivers people doing when Nigerians are insisting that what is happening in their State is an aberration?

The answer to that question is about to receive answers. Rivers women, mothers of the State, have seized the initiative after their sons and daughters were teargassed last week by the police.

Some of the placards carried by protesting Rivers women read, “Is The Law Different For Rivers State?”, “End Injustice And Bring Back Our Governor” and “Save Our Democracy”

On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers suspending Governor Siminilayi Fubara, his Deputy and the Assembly for six months citing threats to national interests.

Analysts as well as prominent Nigerians, at home and in the Diaspora, disagree. They say the sentiments expressed by Tinubu in declaring the State are at best imaginary and illusionary.

While the governor has long moved out of Government House in respect of the order of the President, the suspended members of the House of Assembly have remained in possession of their official quarters.

While Rivers people reel in pain, following their humiliation, pro-Wike lawmakers and their key sponsor, former Nyesom Wike were reportedly gallivanting in the United Kingdom.

The lawmakers are quoted as saying they are in the UK to learn more about lawmaking, thus suggesting that they may be looking forward to returning to office.

But who is providing the funds for their UK training? That is the question to which there are no answers.

Ibas who is believed in some circles to have been handpicked by Wike to do a hatchet job of guaranteeing his political relevance in the state has terminated all political appointments made by Governor Fubara.

He has allegedly replaced them with relations and friends of Wike in a bid to facilitate the State capture process.

A recent motion- exparte granted by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt restraining the Sole Administrator from appointing caretaker committees in Local Government Councils was rebuffed by Ibas and others summoned to appear before the court.

This development has highlighted serious concerns pertaining to the high-handed actions of those members of the political class that are openly masquerading as supporters of President Tinubu.

They have shown little respect to the judiciary especially on issues relating to obedience of the rule of law

In the face of unfolding developments, the Rivers Unite Group in a statement signed by Dr Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, Tamunobelema D. West and Cynthia Amadi said they totally reject the rule of force served on Rivers people.

But they added that what is happening is  politically motivated manoeuvre “aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy “

Below is the full text of the historic address presented by Rivers women:

STATEMENT BY RIVERS WOMEN ON THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE DURING A LIBERATION WALK AND CALL FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

We, the women of Rivers State, gathered under the banner of justice and democracy, express our deep concern and total rejection of the recent declaration of a state of emergency in our beloved state. This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but is clearly a politically motivated maneuver aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy.

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.

If the National Assembly’s intention was truly to prevent a breakdown of law and order in Rivers State, 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?

The unconstitutional and provocative actions of the Sole Administrator further expose the underlying political agenda at play. What we are witnessing is not governance—it is occupation. Not democracy, but autocracy.

Today, 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 State. We reject this blatant political invasion and the imposition of emergency rule in its entirety.

Accordingly, we make the following demands:

1. We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as mothers and wives, to immediately reinstate all democratic institutions in Rivers State, including the return of our duly elected governor, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS.
2. We demand an end to this unconstitutional military rule in Rivers State, masked as a state of emergency. It is unjustified, uncalled for, and unacceptable.
3. 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.
4. We declare that the women and youths of Rivers State can no longer remain silent in the face of intimidation, repression, and disenfranchisement. We will continue to rise in peaceful resistance and demand our right to freedom, justice, and self-determination.
5. We call on civil society organizations, human rights groups, and the international community to speak out against this assault on democracy. There is no credible security threat in Rivers State to justify this state of emergency. The narrative being peddled is entirely fictitious, crafted to validate a political takeover.

Rivers State is the heart of the Niger Delta, a region of immense national significance. Peace has prevailed in our communities. We will not allow anyone to steal our voices or subvert our will. Democracy must be restored.

Signed

Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo

Tamunobelema D. West

Cynthia Amadi

On behalf of Rivers Women

Unite Group