- Safiu Kehinde
Rivers State Council of Elders has lauded President Bola Tinubu over the declaration of state of emergence.
NPO reported that Tinubu had on Tuesday night made the declaration to said attempt to deescalate the unresolved political crisis and tension in the state following the explosion of a pipeline hours earlier.
The pipeline explosion which occured on Monday night tend to have triggered the President to summon security chiefs for an emergency closed-door meeting.
Shortly after the meeting, Tinubu declared the state of emergence on Rivers in a nationwide broadcast.
He also declared the suspension of the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state’s House of Assembly.
Reacting to the development in a statement issued on Wednesday by its chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, the Rivers Elders Council, held that previous efforts by the President to resolve the crisis proved abortive.
While apologizing for the futility of his effort, the council welcomed Tinubu’s decision to declare the state of emergency which it claimed to have returned peace to the state.
The council urged residents of the state to give every necessary support to the Sole Administrator, Rear Admiral Ibokete Ibas (Rtd), who was appointed by the President following the suspension of the Fubara-led administration.
The statement read in part; “The Rivers State Elders Council wish to thank and appreciate His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, for the measures he has put in place to return peace to our dear State.
“The Council recalls that, as a Visionary Leader and Father of the nation, Mr President intervened earlier in the Rivers State crisis in order to avert the inherent threats to governance and security.
“Unfortunately, Mr President’s kind intervention was grossly misinterpreted and ridiculed. We apologise to Mr President for not seizing that opportunity to put our house in order.
“We are therefore calling on all of us, the good people of Rivers State, to prioritize the interest of the State over personal or group sentiments and give every necessary support to the Sole Administrator in his efforts to maintain peace and ensure stability in our dear State.”