Emergency Rule In Rivers Yielding Positive Results, Group Says

The Rivers Peace Congress (RPC) has said that the declaration of a state of emergency by Pres-ident Bola Ahmed Tinubu is already yielding positive results, especially in restoring peace, order, and unity to the once politically volatile state.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its national president, Comrade Randy Prince, the group expressed strong for the president’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara and appoint Ibok-Eket Ibas (rtd) as Sole Administrator of the state, following what it described as “months of legislative disobedience, governance breakdown, and brewing anarchy”.

The RPC described President Tinubu’s intervention as bold, timely, and necessary to protect de-mocracy, lives, and public assets from being eroded by personal power struggles.

“The intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State came at a time when the very fabric of governance was at risk,” the statement read.

“The breakdown of trust between the executive and legislature had reached dangerous levels. We had a governor who defied court orders, ignored constitutional checks, and appeared more interested in fighting perceived enemies than in governing. The state was on the brink. But with the state of emergency in place, we are now seeing calm return, institutions function again, and citizens breathe a sigh of relief.”

RPC said that since the appointment of Ibas as the Sole Administrator, there has been a visible improvement in inter-agency cooperation, public service delivery, and conflict resolution, especially in Port Harcourt and surrounding local councils.

“Rivers people can now go to sleep with both eyes closed. Markets have reopened without fear of politically motivated violence. Civil servants are receiving their salaries without stories. The minis-tries are working, and public projects have resumed. The paralysis that plagued governance has been lifted. And the credit goes to President Tinubu for putting the interest of the people above politics,” the statement added.

Prince noted that while some critics may describe the move as undemocratic, the bigger picture was the preservation of national unity and to salvage the state from total collapse.