Coalition Petitions ECOWAS Over Emergency Rule In Rivers

A pro-democracy coalition, Concerned Nigerians in Defence of Democratic Governance, has petitioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), calling for urgent intervention over what it described as President Bola Tinubu’s moves to undermine democracy in the country, following his recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The group warned that if ECOWAS fails to act, the situation could escalate into a major crisis, potentially leading to large-scale displacement of people and instability in West Africa.

In the petition addressed to ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray, the coalition expressed concerns over the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The petition jointly signed by Aliyu Tanko, Bello Adamu, Nnamdi Ekwueme, Nicholas Upelle, Sadiq Alao and Oche Oche, was also addressed to the High Commissioners of Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The coalition argued that the president’s action in Rivers was unconstitutional and, if not addressed, would set a dangerous precedent for democratic governance in Nigeria and the broader West African region.

“This has implications for how the West African subregion will fare in the future. Permit us to point out that the political crises that led to the formation of the Alliance of Shahelian States (AES) and the subsequent exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) did not emanate at the national levels of these nation-states; the crises began as issues at the subnational levels of these countries before escalating to national challenges that provoked military interventions.

“At the core of the disintegration, staring ECOWAS in the face is the serial injustices that national governments unleash on the constituent units of each nation. The sub-region has looked to Nigeria to play a pivotal role in managing the fallouts of the political situation created by this ugly development,” the coalition said.

The activists alleged that President Tinubu’s decision was politically motivated and aimed at empowering his ally, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to take control of Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“He took this step despite a Supreme Court ruling that clarified that a state of emergency does not translate to a removal of the governor or of democratically elected office holders. Through our interactions with persons who are closely linked to the crisis in Rivers State, the Concerned Nigerians in Defence of Democrats Governance have established that the imposition of a state of emergency on Rivers State has nothing to do with the restoration of peace because the state was not at war even at the height of the political disagreements that President Tinubu cited as an excuse to suspend its democratically elected office holders.

“We are now aware that the action was taken to empower President Tinubu’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, who is the immediate past governor of the state, to hijack control of the state from the opposition and fraudulent take it over for the president’s party ahead of the next general elections in 2027.

“Secondly, President Tinubu used the imposition of emergency rule to intimidate the remaining 35 state governors not to challenge his dictatorship since he had demonstrated that he could easily abuse the Constitution to remove them from office.

“Your Excellency, the threat to democratic expression in Nigeria has become so bad that the remaining 35 governors, through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have come out to openly declare that they will not interfere in President Tinubu’s dictatorial imposition of emergency rule.

“Their declaration of neutrality in the face of the threat to Nigeria’s democracy is better understood against the background that several of the states are currently under siege from President Tinubu’s political mercenaries, who are creating conditions of political hostility to justify further declaration of emergency rule in other states.

“We are writing to alert ECOWAS that President Tinubu’s truncation of democratic governance in Rivers State through the unconstitutional imposition of a state of emergency has grave implications for the West Africa sub-region. Because he is poised to truncate democracy in other Nigerian states, the development would inevitably snowball into violence that could throw the country into crisis”, the petition reads.

The coalition urged ECOWAS to demand the immediate reinstatement of Governor Fubara and other suspended officials, stressing that upholding democratic principles is crucial for the stability of the region.

The activists called on ECOWAS to ensure Nigeria’s leadership adheres to constitutional provisions to prevent further erosion of democracy in the country.