An advocacy non-governmental organisation in Rivers State, the Citizens’ Rights Advocacy Initiative (CRAI) says the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) does not have the capacity to broker peace in the state.
In a chat with our correspondent, the Coordinator of CRAI, Comrade Sobebo Princewill noted that since Ibas assumed duty in the state as sole administrator, he has been able to invite neither suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara nor FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for a peace talk.
Princewill maintained that only President Bola Tinubu can invite the warring parties in the state for a peace meeting and parties involved will honour such invitation because of the respect they both have for the office of the president.
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He said that peace may not return to the state after Ibas leaves because what he is doing is far from restoring peace in the state.
By virtue of how Ibas is running the state, it seems the suspension of Fubara means removal in disguise. This kind of undemocratic practice is directly telling voters across all states of the federation that the president can remove the governor they voted for at any time and appoint a non indigene to govern them.
Ibas, who was sent by the president to maintain law and order in the state, has dismantled all appointive structures of Fubara and drafted a budget for the state, which many viewed as unconstitutional.
Some are still saying that if Tinubu had wanted genuine peace in the state, he would have suspended Wike too for being a major player in the political crisis in the state..
Others also believed that Ibas may not leave the state’s seat of power after the expiration of his six-month tenure, adding that the president may likely extend his tenure to perfect the alleged intention of using Abuja forces to control the resources of the state.
