- Orders Police To Provide Security To LG Offices Amid Arson
- I’m Appealing To Everyone, To Wike, My Oga, There Is No Need To Destroy Rivers- Fubara
- IGP Reacts, Says Police Acted In Line With Court Order
President Bola Tinubu who is observing his annual leave in the United Kingdom has waded into the crisis rocking Rivers State following the just concluded local government elections in the oil rich south south state.
The Matrix had earlier reported that violent clashes erupted in at least four local government areas—with local government secretariats in Eleme, Ikwerre, and Emohua set ablaze by rampaging political hoodlums, while gunshots were fired sporadically in Ahoada East to resist the new council officials.
The burning of LG secretariats followed the withdrawal of the police officers securing the 23 council secretariats by the commissioner of police.
But reacting to unfolding tensions, the President expressed deep concern over reports of arson and explosions in the state.
READ ALSO: Withhold Allocations To States That Fail To Conduct Credible LG Polls- SERAP Urges Tinubu
According to Tinubu all political actors have to de-escalate the situation and discourage their supporters from engaging in violence or destructive actions.
Tinubu also instructed the police to move in and restore, maintain peace, law, and order immediately.
The President who spoke through his media aide, Bayo Onanuga on Monday, also instructed law enforcement agencies to bring the situation under control, he emphasised the need to ensure the security of public institutions.
He warned that government facilities built with public funds must be safeguarded from vandalism.
He stressed that self-help has no place in a democratic system, especially after 25 years of continuous democracy.
According to President Tinubu, the judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of this election should be no exception.
Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has urged his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, to let go of any grip he desires to have over Rivers State and allow peace reign in the oil-rich state.
Fubara, who stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, said he does not regret conducting the local government election in the state last Saturday despite the resistance by Wike’s men in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Asked what his message to Wike would be if they met, Fubara said, “I’ll tell him (Wike) that it has gotten to a point where he needs to let go. We need peace in this state.
“You don’t necessarily need to win all the fights; at times, you just let go for the sake of the good people of Rivers State and the love that you have always professed for the state. We need to secure the state.
“Fubara will leave tomorrow. Who knows who is going to come? It might be through him or another person but we need to secure the state.”
Fubara said election periods are over and it’s time for governance. He urged the FCT minister to give peace a chance.
“What I am appealing is: everyone should sheathe their swords. Even to the minister, my oga (my boss), there is no need to destroy this state.
READ ALSO: Rivers LG Crisis: President Tinubu Directs Police To Provide Security To LG Offices
“He (Wike) once ruled this state and the state was an envy of every other state. Another person is there now, what we need now is the support, after four years or eight years, who knows? I will also leave and someone else will take over. That should be the spirit.
“When it comes to the election period, you can fight and do whatever but now is the time for governance. We need all the support,” the governor said.
Fubara said all Nigerians know that he has no hand in the destruction of local government secretariats in Rivers State.
In a related development, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has addressed claims of the Police’s involvement in the recently concluded LG poll, affirming its neutrality and clarifying its actions were based strictly on court directives.
In a statement shared on the NPF’s Facebook page, Egbetokun explained that the police’s decisions during the election process were guided by legal rulings, not political interests.
He highlighted that a Federal High Court, on July 19, 2024, had barred the police from participating in the election, deeming it unlawful. However, a later order from the Rivers State High Court on September 4, 2024, directed the police to provide security, though the NPF was not involved in that suit.
On September 30, 2024, the Federal High Court reaffirmed its earlier ruling, instructing the police to abstain from offering security during the elections.
Faced with these conflicting orders, Egbetokun consulted the Force Legal Section, which advised adherence to the Federal High Court’s decision. This was conveyed to the Rivers State Governor in a letter on October 2, 2024.
To address recent tensions and accusations, the IGP ordered the unsealing of Local Government Council Secretariats in Rivers State, which had been closed due to disputes between elected chairmen and state-appointed caretaker committees.
READ ALSO: Unseal, Withdraw Policemen Barricading All LGAs Secretariat- IGP Orders Rivers CP
This decision aimed to restore peace and support the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.
Egbetokun condemned the violence that followed the unsealing of the secretariats and directed the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to restore law and order.
He explained that the unsealing on October 6, 2024, was based on reports that elected chairmen had been sworn in by the state government, reaffirming the police’s commitment to neutrality and peaceful governance in Rivers State.
The IGP emphasized the NPF’s dedication to upholding law, neutrality, and fostering peace throughout Nigeria.
