Citizens for Democratic Watch (CDW), a pro-democracy group, has condemned the appointment of administrators for the 23 local government areas in Rivers State by the sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, describing it as “a dangerous abuse of power and a direct attack on the constitution”.
This latest action, which came just 24 hours after a Federal High court restrained Ibas from making such appointments, has triggered widespread concern over what the group calls “the rapid erosion of democratic institutions under the guise of emergency governance”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dr Hassan Dantani, Executive Director of CDW, called on President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene before the situation spirals out of control.
“Appointing 23 sole administrators in clear defiance of a federal court order is not only unlawful — it is tyrannical,” Dantani said.
“No state of emergency gives anyone the license to override the judiciary, erase local governance, and act above the law. This must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Dantani noted that the local government system is a constitutionally recognised tier of government, and any attempt to run it without democratic structures sets a very dangerous precedent.
“This action by Ibok-Ete Ibas is a grave violation of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the system of democratically elected local government councils,” he said.
“Our democracy cannot function if unelected individuals are imposed to run local governments under military-style appointments.”
CDW warned that if allowed to stand, the appointments could embolden future political actors to trample on the rule of law and weaken the judiciary.
“The blatant disregard for a valid court order should alarm every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation,” Dantani said.
