A group, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replicate his approach in the political crisis in Ondo State in Rivers State.
The national president of VATLAD, Engr Igbini Emmanuel, urged chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the political disagreement between former governor Nyesom Wike and his political son, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
He said it was a rude shock and disappointment for the National Executive Council (NEC) of the PDP to be more interested in declaring the seats of the 27 defected legislators vacant and asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately conduct by-elections to fill them.
Emmanuel said, “Rather than intervene to help resolve the minor political disagreement for the overriding interest of the good and united people of Rivers State and continued peace and progress of the state, the NEC of PDP would rather call for by-election.
“Is this what they seek to reenact in Rivers State to have Governor Fubara run the affairs of the state without the legislators or with only four or five legislators out of the total of 32 legislators?
“Nigerians must not allow PDP to reenact such in Rivers State and any part of Nigeria as such constitutes the worst threat to our constitutional democracy, good government, order and peace.
“If I may ask; are these not the same chieftains and members of the NEC of PDP who supported and approved of the worst form of disregard and desecration of our 1999 Nigerian constitution, as amended, when from June 2019 to June 2023, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State chased away majority of elected members of Edo State House of Assembly and ran the affairs of the state without constitutionally recognized members of the House of Assembly?” Emmanuel asked.
