Tinubu’s Silence On Rivers Emergency Rule Troubling – Dickson

The senator representing Bayelsa West district, Henry Seriake Dickson, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s silence on the emergency rule in Rivers State in his address to a joint session of the National Assembly.

Reflecting on the symbolic importance of the June 12 Democracy Day, Dickson said he expected Tinubu to use the occasion to restore democratic rule in Rivers State.

Addressing journalists after the session, the senator regretted that the president missed a
golden opportunity to strengthen democracy by skipping Rivers State in his address.

“You cannot claim to be a democrat on one hand, while trampling democracy underfoot on the other. The President missed a golden opportunity today to strengthen democracy by restoring constitutional rule in Rivers State.

“The silence on Rivers State in the President’s address was deafening. Today is not about repression. It’s not about the suppression of voices. It’s about upholding and respecting the democratic rights of Nigerians—especially the people of Rivers State.

“This is not about Governor Fubara’s origin or political party—if he even has one. Today, people switch parties so frequently we can hardly keep track. This is about the people of Rivers State, their democratic rights, and the sanctity of our Constitution.

“I am disappointed. First, because the President ignored the undemocratic situation in Rivers. Second, because in doing so, he set a dangerous precedent. I say this not just as someone from Bayelsa, but also proudly as someone maternally from Ijebu,” Dickson said.

He accused the president of pandering to certain political interests, putting the country’s broader democratic pursuit at risk.

“What happens today in Rivers could happen tomorrow in Lagos or Kano. No one holds power forever. If we allow this precedent, what stops a future president from declaring a state of emergency in Lagos or Kano, sacking duly elected officials, appointing administrators, and running the state from Abuja?

“That is why we must not allow this to stand. That is why I raise my voice. This is not just about Rivers State. It is about protecting our democracy for every Nigerian—north, south, east, and west.

“What they attempted in Lagos during elections was power grab and that is what they are doing now,” the senator added.

President Tinubu had, on March 18, declared emergency rule in Rivers State, sacking an elected governor and members of the state’s assembly for six months.

He then appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator, to run the affairs of the state for the duration of the emergency rule.

The two chambers of the National Assembly had, on March 20, ratified the emergency rule through a voice vote amid widespread criticism of the President’s action.

Many Nigerians and political stakeholders had expected the President to announce the lifting of the Rivers emergency proclamation on the occasion of the Democracy Day celebration.