The desperation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to conquer and subdue the oil-rich Rivers State so as to inherit its political and economic fortunes for the 2027 presidential election while deploying absolute force that defies the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, leaves the Nigerian state in a near-dictatorship and authoritarianism that baffle legal experts and opposition parties
By Lukmon Ojerinde
Dictatorship has been given various definitions in the recent past including a form of government where absolute power is held by a single person or a small group, with no effective constitutional limitations or checks and balances on their power. Dictators typically come to power for personal gains but try to persuade their people to perceive them as benevolent and loving rulers while they manipulative power to suppress opposition and basic civil liberties.
Even the Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, aligns with the above thought on dictatorship when it stressed thus, “A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator. In modern usage the term dictator is generally used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power.
Dictatorships are often characterised by some of the following: suspension of elections and civil liberties; proclamation of a state of emergency; rule by decree; repression of political opponents; not abiding by the procedures of the rule of law; and the existence of a cult of personality centered on the leader. Dictatorships are often one-party or dominant-party states”.
Thus, penultimate week, precisely Tuesday, February 18, 2025 when President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency (SOE) on Rivers State over threats by militants to blow up oil pipelines in the state, and appointed a Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas a retired military junta to rule the state for an initial six months, there were clear indications, according to many analysts that Nigeria was sliding into dictatorship.
Tinubu also suspended the elected governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara and the House of Assembly for the first six months of the SOE citing Section 305 of the Constitution which empowers the president to declare an SOE in the country under dire security threats. Tinubu’s SOE read in part: “Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
“On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms; ‘A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended’.
“The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them.
“In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.
“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State”.
Giving credence to the SOE in order to save the Federal Government the backlash, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi said the declaration was timely and intended to avert imminent security breach that was looming in Rivers State, including the bombing of an oil pipeline in the state. Fagbemi said, “These are very serious and very weighty allegations that only an irresponsible head of state or leader will fold his arms and ignore.
“Don’t also forget that before now, that is when this government came into office, Nigeria was producing about 900,000 barrels of oil a day. With the efforts and all the ingenuity that the President had, he ensured that the production rose to about 1.5 million barrels per day. That’s about 45 per cent increase; governors were smiling home at the end of the month with about 60 per cent increase in their take home to their various states. Then somebody rose or encouraged or became inactive when he was supposed to act. There was not a word dissuading the militants who issued this threat”.
“Don’t forget, I think yesterday, there was a notice of impeachment from the House of Assembly. If that impeachment had been allowed to take its full course, then the governor would have lost wholly and entirely.
“Things are not working in Rivers. So, the justification is those who brought this to be, who caused this must be shown in clear terms that you don’t do it and get away with it. There must be consequences for our action. If section 305 were to be absent, then you can be talking of what justification do you have. But section 305 clearly spells out conditions in which the government, the President, will come out and say, I am suspending the normal operation of things”.
In what many referred to as a despotic move, President Tinubu would not wait for the National Assembly to ratify or disapprove of the SOE before he administered an oath of office on the Sole Administrator the following day, Wednesday March 19, 2025 empowering Ibas to begin his rulership pronto. The Constitution does not have provision for the swearing in of a Sole Administrator to rule a state with duly elected governor and House of Assembly. These actions were in sheer violation of the provisions of Section 305 of the Constitution which requires two-thirds of the members of the two Chambers to vote in favour of the SOE. If the said number was not achieved the SOE would have no effect.
Again, the Section of the 1999 Constitution which empowers the declaration of SOE by the president does not give him the power to appoint a Sole Administrator to take over the affairs of the state. The appointment of the Sole Administrator was a breach and violation of the fundamental laws of the land according to legal experts.
Furthermore, there is no Constitutional provision that gives the president power to release the monthly allocations of Rivers State to the Sole Administrator immediately after he was sworn in. The Supreme Court had ruled that the monthly allocations of Rivers State should not be released to governor Fubara until he had re-presented his 2025 budget to a duly constituted state Assembly. In the process of Fubara obeying the Supreme Court verdict on the Rivers Assembly, President Tinubu foisted a Sole Administrator to the state and ordered its monthly allocations to be released to Ibas, a move that has attracted vituperative utterances against the president by legal experts.
On the part of the National Assembly which ought to be a watchdog on the excesses of the president, the reign of despotism and violation of the Constitution to allow Tinubu have his way prevailed. On the day the legislative arm was to cast their votes to either support or oppose the SOE, Thursday, March 21, 2025, many lawmakers had stayed away from plenary to ensure that it was hard to get the required two-thirds majority for Tinubu to carry out the SOE. Unfortunately for democracy and Nigeria, the legislature under Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abass respectively, demonstrated its rubberstamp posture and loyalty to the president when it opted for the unconstitutional voice vote which unanimously supported the SOE.
There was the allegation that the Executive arm had offered bribes to the lawmakers to secure their support for the SOE. It was alleged that the lawmakers had received varied amounts of dollars from the presidency which was distributed to them through the Senate President, Akpabio in his house in Abuja. It was also alleged that some lawmakers received $5,000 while others went home with $10,000 from the alleged $3,000,000 which Wike doled out to buy the legislative branch of the government.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo would not hide his disgust against the dollar bribery allegation. In a video shared online, Obasanjo was seen and heard in a conversation with Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere during which the member of the lower legislative chamber defended himself against the former president’s accusation that lawmakers received $20,000 each to endorse the SOE. “Nobody gave anyone $20,000. That is just what I want to correct”, Ugochinyere had said.
But Obasanjo stood by his allegation, and insisted that, “You can say anything. I heard from the horse’s mouth. You can deny it, that is alright, but I heard it from those who got it and told me they got it. If you didn’t get it, then maybe your case is different. Don’t tell me what I know. Most of your members who got it told me that they got it”.
Meanwhile, there have been rumours from various quarters that Tinubu may not allow Fubara to return to the Rivers Government House again as the governor of the state because of his political calculations for 2027 presidential election. From numerous indications, Tinubu is nursing the ambition to remain in Aso Rock Presidential Villa beyond 2027. Tinubu’s second term ambition is being resisted by many political heavyweights in the three Northern regions who perceive him as anti-North President against the background of his four Tax Reform Bills which he sent to the National Assembly for passage into law.
Last year, the Bills were sent to the two Chambers of the Legislative branch, and their contents which prescribe derivative tax return to states, including the Value Added Tax (VAT), have raised contentious debates especially among the core Muslim states in the North. Coupled with other burning issues bordering around leadership deficits and alleged authoritarianism, Tinubu appears to be losing the popularity which made the region to support him in 2023.
Optionally, Tinubu would be seeking to capture Rivers and Lagos States to consolidate his hold on the Southern part of the country. Both states boast of huge funds and large number of voters. In 2023, it was alleged that Tinubu could not win Rivers, a core People’s Democratic Party (PDP) state, but relied on Wike who delivered the state to him through alleged massive rigging. But with Fubara as the governor, Tinubu cannot have a firm grip on the state.
The faceoff between Wike and Fubara had raised serious concerns in the camp of Tinubu as to how the All Progressives Congress (APC) would lose such a strategic state to opposition party in 2027. Fubara’s government poses a big challenge to Tinubu’s reelection, therefore Fubara must be hounded out of the Government House by hook or crook. And the recent SOE appears to be making good the intention.
In the days ahead, Tinubu may be compelled, due to public outcry, to constitute a peace and reconciliation committee to purportedly seek to make peace between the warring factions. Information pieced together by this medium indicated that the reconciliation committee would be made up of cronies of Wike who would dish out stringent conditions for Fubara to sign before the presidency would lift the SOE. These conditions, according to credible information available to Tentacle, would be inimical to the prosperity and stability of the state. These conditions may include sharing formula of the Rivers State finances between Wike and Fubara government which can limit projects to be executed by the government, appointment of 80 percent of commissioners by Wike, ceding of local government chairmanship to Wike’s control, Chief of Staff and Accountant General of the State to be appointed by Wike as well as compelling the governor to be loyal to the whims and caprices of the State Assembly
The peace committee would further demand Fubara to append his signature to the condition that he must ensure Tinubu and APC win the 2027 presidential election in Rivers State. Fubara who is likely to insist on wide consultation may decline the one-sided peace accord that would leave him at the mercy of his sore enemy, Wike. His refusal to accept the conditions would cause the committee to conclude that peace and security have eluded Rivers State. This will necessitate the extension of the SOE by another six months.
Within the second six months, there may be heightened spate of insecurity orchestrated by unidentified elements that would be attributed to Fubara. This may include purported blowing up of pipelines and skirmishes between the government of the Sole Administrator and other elements which will also be blamed on Fubara.
A source from the presidency revealed to Tentacle that Fubara cannot come back as governor if time is not taken because the forces against him are bigger than he is able to contend with.
The source added, “Mark my word; Fubara’s tenure may have been permanently suspended. You cannot fight the president as a governor and think you can win. He remains the president and Commander-in-Chief and a father of the nation.
“When he advised you to sign a peace accord, why would you turn to ridicule the agreement you signed and renege on its implementation? That was sheer recklessness on the part of the governor.
“Even if you didn’t want to respect the agreement after signing, for the sake of the president wisdom should have prevailed that you implement it and come back to report to him that the agreement was no longer favourable to your state and its citizens.
“By that time the president would perceive that you have regards for him and the office he occupies, and will be willing to listen to you and probably call Wike for another negotiation. I think this should have been a wiser approach than you trying to undermine the office of the president.
“Now, where are those people who advised him to snub the president’s peace accord; have they not left him?
“I can assure you that Rivers State is going to be a strategic state in 2027 political equation whether you like it or not. And I don’t think any wise party will toy with it. That’s my point”.
In confirmation of the plot to oust Fubara and destabilize his political structures in favour of Tinubu, the Sole Administrator has initiated moves to take hold of the state through obvious actions. Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika has been appointed as the new Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) by the Sole Administrator.
Ibas made the announcement of the appointment in a statement from the Government House, in the early hours of Tuesday, March 24, 2025. In the statement, the former Chief of Naval Staff said the appointment followed careful consideration of Worika’s credentials, extensive experience, and performance during rigorous selection process.
The new SSG is replacing Dr Tammy Danagogo who served under the suspended Governor Fubara, as SSG but was allegedly forced to resign by Ibas.
The Rivers State maximum ruler has also announced Dr. Iyingi Brown as the Acting Head of Service of the state after he allegedly forced the former Head of Service, Dr George Nwaeke to resign. Brown is the Permanent Secretary, Welfare from the office of former head of service.
The alleged forced removal of the SSG and Head of Service of Rivers State signposts the coming of iron rulership in the state as alleged by many watchers of events. These have alleged that Ibas may rule Rivers State with tyranny till 2027. It is expected that any time soon, he will appoint Sole Administrators for the local government areas who will be loyal to him and Wike, while Wike will then be in charge of the financial fortunes of the state.
A Niger Delta leader and former Publicity Secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Anabs Sara-Ige argued that the APC-led central government and Wike are only interested in Rivers State’s money which they have taken through a coup against Fubara. He also said that they have taken the funds which the Supreme Court said must not be released to Fubara government.
Prominent lawyer and political analyst, Liborous Oshoma, said the sacking of Fubara, his Deputy Ngozi Odu and the Rivers State House of Assembly by Tinubu did not have anything to do with insecurity, but is about grabbing the resources of the state for Tinubu’s second term ambition in 2027. According to him, “It’s not about insecurity, it’s about taking over the resources of Rivers State for 2027”. Oshoma added, “Why will the Federal Government release Rivers funds to a Sole Administrator?
“Blowing up pipelines was orchestrated to declare a state of emergency. There are no security challenges in Rivers State, there is no imminent threat to peace, what you have is a disagreement between two arms of government; does that warrant declaring a state of emergency and imposing Sole Administrator just to take over the state’s political structure and its vast resources for 2027 Tinubu second term?”
Sara-Ige backed Oshoma’s allegations, insisting “Mr. President seems to be desperate to whip opposition to his side. Wike is the hatchet man of the president.
“Tinubu didn’t fire a minister that has been causing trouble everywhere, but he fired a governor he did not elect. He has violated the Constitution and asked the National Assembly to approve his violation of the Constitution.
“Democracy has been abused in Nigeria. Wike wanted a state of emergency by all means and now he has achieved it.
“Tinubu is releasing the state’s money because they’re all interested in the money. Supreme Court said ‘don’t release money’ and you went ahead to release money to a total stranger.
“This is a war against Rivers State, not Fubara. It can happen to another state. If we allow this dictatorship to stand, then Nigeria’s democracy is doomed”.
In a notable administrative development, the Rivers State Administrator, has also officially named Commodore Aminu Shehu as the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government House. This strategic decision represents a pivotal shift in the state’s governance framework, particularly as Commodore Shehu, a distinguished Hausa leader, steps into this high-profile role.
In his capacity as Chief of Staff, Commodore Shehu will be responsible for overseeing critical government functions, providing strategic policy recommendations, and facilitating smooth interdepartmental coordination. During the official announcement, Vice Admiral Ibas reiterated that Shehu’s appointment was strictly based on his proven competence and leadership capabilities. He further charged the new Chief of Staff to execute his responsibilities with unwavering dedication, integrity, and a result-oriented mindset.
In another strategic move to effectively cede Rivers State to Wike and Tinubu, Ibas has suspended all political appointees in the state.
A statement by his Chief of Staff on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, read: “The Rivers State government announces the suspension of political office holders and appointees in Rivers State.
“This is pursuant to the powers conferred on the Administrator of Rivers State, Ibas by President Bola Tinubu.
“Those suspended include the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Of Staff, Commissioners, Chairmen and members of all Boards, councils of agencies, commissions, institutions and parastatals, Special Advisers, Special Assistants, and Senior Special Assistants.
“This suspension takes effect from March 26, 2025. The affected officers are to hand over to the permanent secretaries in their MDAs. Where there may be no permanent secretary, they are to hand over to the most senior Director/Head of Administration.”
Ibas has also asked Heads of Local Government Areas in the state to submit reports of two years activities of their councils to the government.
The directive was contained in a letter to the HLGAs by Dr. Itong Awani, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Affairs.
The letter read: “His Excellency, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State has directed that all Heads of Local Government Administration should submit the report of their councils to the office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Affairs.
“I am also to inform you that all submissions using the format listed below should reach the office of the undersigned on or before March 26, 2025, for onward transmission to the office of the Sole Administrator, Government House, Port Harcourt for further necessary action.”
Instructively, Ibas has made the point clear that he is not in Rivers State to wield any constitutional or legal powers but to do the biddings of the man who imposed him on the people of Rivers State, especially when he said in his statement to wit: “power conferred on me by the president”. The implication is that Rivers people should not expect him to discharge any of his duties based on the provisions of the constitution, but move in any direction, no matter how rash, to please Wike and Tinubu.
