The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has explained why it has not commented on the political crisis in Rivers State and the consequent imposition of a state of emergency in the oil-rich State.
In a statement on Saturday, the Director General of the Forum, Abdulateef Shittu, said the body of 36 governors deliberately avoids taking sides in partisan issues that could divide its members, who are drawn from different political parties.
“The Forum is an umbrella body for subnational governments. Our role is to promote unified policy positions and work with stakeholders to drive socioeconomic development,” the statement read in part.
The NGF secretariat said it had received several media enquiries about its silence on the political impasse in Rivers State, but insisted that stepping into such controversies would be against its guiding principles.
“Taking positions on contentious partisan issues would mean a poor sense of history — just a few years after the Forum survived a major division caused by political differences,” it added.
Although the Forum had in the past taken strong positions on national issues like minimum wage, taxation, healthcare and education, it said its focus remained on governance, not politics.
“We call for the understanding of the public and the media,” the statement said, adding that “appropriate platforms and crisis management mechanisms” were in place to resolve such disputes.
Recall that President Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing a prolonged political crisis that has crippled governance and threatened security in the oil-rich region.
With immediate effect, Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months. In their place, he appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the state’s Administrator.
“The Administrator will not make new laws but will oversee governance in the interest of the good people of Rivers State,” Tinubu had said in a nationwide broadcast, adding that the judicial arm of government in the State would continue to function independently.
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