In Rivers State, Anabs Sara-Igbe is a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Coordinator of the South-South Elders Forum. He talks on the state’s return to democratic governance, the importance of peace to the populace, and what the governor and assembly members should do to keep the peace in this interview. In addition, the elder statesman discusses the squandering of Rivers people’s resources and the actions of the state’s single administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, during his six months in office. These portions are provided by Joy Anibogu:
How is the situation in Rivers State now that the governor’s suspension has been lifted and the state has formally returned to democratic governance? How do the people feel?
You can see that the people of Rivers are ecstatic to see their governor because everything has stopped since he left. When it comes to Mr. Project, Sim Fubara is the one in question. All around the state, he has projects. We don’t know what Ibok-Ete Ibas has done with our money, though, and within the last six months, everything has stopped. We only want our governor to arrive and continue the excellent work he is doing; we have no idea how he spent his money.
Martin Amaewhule headed the House of Assembly, which met Thursday and requested that the governor come and deliver the budget.
The assembly should not be antagonistic, I will advise. All of them recently returned. We think that the people of Rivers want peace and harmony, and that both parties have learned their lessons. We don’t require animosity. The governor’s executive role is to select his commissioners and present them to the House of Assembly at the proper time. There is no way to stamp him as doing it. This is the governor’s first return to office. In order to determine which team to work with, he must first sit down and examine the books and his surroundings. Both agreements and concessions were reached. We then need to evaluate them and decide which one to put into practice. However, I am confident that the governor will be able to bring about development in Rivers State and is prepared to carry out those agreements. Rivers residents also think that the Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike factions are both interested in the growth of Rivers State. We should all consequently consider the Rivers State development to be sacred. However, without peace, we cannot obtain that. In rancour, we can’t get that. The House of Assembly should be called by the governor; they are his buddies. Anything that occurred has already passed. The governor need to be viewed as both their buddy and their own. In order to demonstrate how both sides can cooperate for the benefit of the state, they should put the ashes in the ground. It is no longer the old era. Now is the time for cooperation and peace. We must cooperate in order to ensure that the state advances, as no one was able to speak up during the previous six months when an outsider arrived to pillage our resources. Since the National Assembly was prohibited from passing legislation that would overthrow elected governors by Section 114 of the National Constitution, we are aware that the state of emergency was unconstitutional. However, even Section 305 did not ensure that the president would comply with his actions. But that’s all the past. What Rivers State needs right now is a plan for the future. These days, we are much like every other state with democratic government. We therefore urge everyone involved to make sure that there is cooperation, understanding, and trust amongst them and to allow them to operate in the state’s best interests.
The six-month emergency rule in Rivers State needs to be looked into immediately, according to the Labour Party. What do you think of this Labour Party statement?
Well, that’s what they think. To their opinion, they are entitled. Nonetheless, the fact that Nigeria has institutions capable of looking into corruption is crucial. In addition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), we also have the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The State House of Assembly also has the authority to look into state corruption. It is not the governor’s responsibility to look into the case of the only administrator or anyone connected. Interpretation of the EFCC’s work is the responsibility of the judiciary. From our perspective in Rivers State, we do not observe what he did or how he used our funds. Consequently, he spent Rivers’ money in six months on no obvious project to which he could attest. So the EFCC and the ICPC will have to investigate the truth. To help Rivers State attain peace and calm, we would suggest that the governor build bridges. He should also focus on his developmental goals and create more roads, schools, hospitals, and health centers while making sure that salaries are paid. It is the goal of the Rivers people to empower those involved in small-scale business and other endeavors. Rivers State has this in mind. We don’t want the governor to look into the matter himself; the EFCC, ICPC, and National Assembly are all capable of doing so, and they put us in this mess while fully aware that they are not allowed to enact laws that would remove an elected governor under section 114. People from Rivers don’t care. That is something we consider to be past. We would like to proceed. The governor needs to step in and ensure that growth spreads throughout the entire state as it once did, as we have been deprived of it.
In his handover, Ibas stated that competition without communication obviously jeopardizes democracy and that the unbridled use of power can destroy institutions. In your opinion, have the lessons been learned as events unfolded?
The state in which both parties were elected has suffered over the last six months, therefore we think they have both learned their lessons. Nothing was wrong in Rivers State. In Rivers State, there was no security danger prior to the declaration of the state of emergency. We have experienced crises in Benue, the Plateau, and the northern regions of Zamfara and Borno, which is what section 305 is intended to address. There was a pause. Additionally, Ibas affirmed that Rivers State was peaceful and had remained thus till his departure. There are no issues in Rivers State, and the people there are very quiet. We must maintain this tranquility. Getting our governor to come and advance the state is what we are worried about today. We’re glad he’s here because you can see everyone celebrating and thrilled that the illegal institution has been waived. His goal is to construct bridges. We would like him to connect with everyone. After they forgive, the rest ought to follow suit. Together as a family, let’s strive for the state’s advancement. In my opinion, that is what all Rivers men and women are interested in.
According to the FCT Minister, President Tinubu is dedicated to promoting peace, and the faith of the River people has been restored as a result of his intervention. Do you think the FCT minister’s statements are valid in Rivers State?
Commenting on someone else’s words is not our purpose. It matters that the minister is a native of Rivers State and was formerly a governor. Rivers State is the birthplace of the current governor as well. Both of them ought to return and collaborate. If I remember correctly, I called for peace during the town hall meeting and requested Wike to invite the governor, his godson, into the room so they could lock themselves up and settle this. Today, Rivers residents are pleased that Wike has fulfilled our request and expectations. Continuing that peace process is what we want. We want that discussion to go on. We want that peace to last. That’s what the people of Rivers are after. Any narrative about what one person says and what another does not say is of no relevance to us. Today, we are worried that our governor has returned and should be free to carry out his duties without any obstacles. It is our concern. We are also confident that whatever negotiations they engage in will benefit Rivers State and its citizens.
What direction do you think administration will go in with just four members supporting the governor, a PDP member, and 27 members of the house who are now APC members?
I recently learned that the assembly members are now APC members. According to them, they are not APC before the Supreme Court. They are PDP members who have not left. And now it’s said that we don’t want to delve into those details. At this point, it doesn’t matter if those people are correct or incorrect. We are at the stage of fostering reconciliation and peace. Mutual understanding is the stage we are in. How can we advance the state in the current state? For over four or five years, we have been regressed in just six months. Thus, how can we overcome this lag in order to compete with other states? Right now, we are enjoying democracy as it is, but we want it to last in a peaceful and communicative manner. Nothing can be resolved by talk. Nothing is impossible to achieve with peace. In the interest of the state, both sides should so pursue discussion and peacebuilding.
Some attorneys argue that the sole administrator should have dissolved the cabinet prior to his departure and that Fubara ought to fire the commissioners he selected. Is that what you believe he ought to do?
There was no commissioner appointed by the sole administrator. He named public secretaries, chairman of municipal governments, and so on. Civil servants are what these are. Additionally, everyone thought that the governor would confer with all parties involved to make sure that every choice he made was just and in everyone’s best interests. Upon his arrival, he will have the ability to dissolve his current cabinet and install a new one that will serve the interests of all parties.
The Supreme Court was asked by the 11 PDP governors to declare the state of emergency unlawful and to rule that the appointment of a single administrator was unlawful, but there are still unresolved concerns. The legal case remains pending. Nothing has been done about it.
Does Nigeria have a court system? Let’s tell the truth, you see. From our point of view, it doesn’t matter what occurs. No judicial exists. No legislature exists. All of them are presidential appendices. So, this is known to all. Essentially, we are not abiding by the law. According to the legislation, they are expected to interpret it. However, it is not what is happening right now. In light of this, let’s consider them an extension of the presidency. Neither the Supreme Court nor the National Assembly pique the curiosity of the Rivers people. We want Rivers State to be peaceful and calm. To continue with his development stride, we would like to see the governor return. In close collaboration with Nyesom Wike and the assembly members, we would like to see the governor. The governor coming to work with everyone and the state moving forward is something we are interested in. Our interest is in that. Even though the PDP governors have the right to go to court, Nigeria has no courts because the country’s judiciary has completely let its citizens down. Nigeria does not now have a judiciary unless they establish their own correctness. The judiciary is therefore not of interest to us. We don’t care about any court. Therefore, we want to know how we might achieve peace and construct a peaceful state. We are currently interested in it.
What do you think about the National Assembly’s role in approving the president’s decision to proclaim Rivers State to be under state of emergency?
Starting with section 11-4, which gives the National Assembly the authority to enact laws for the state in the absence of the House of Assembly, let me begin. And according to the law in the previous line, they cannot enact legislation to remove an elected governor or deputy governor from office, even if they have the authority to do so. Moreover, Section 305 is quite explicit. According to Section 305, the National Assembly is not authorized to enact legislation that would remove the governor or deputy governor. As I mentioned before, however, the judiciary has turned its back on us, and the Rivers people have been whipped. We have everyone against us. But I must give credit to Nigerians for speaking out against persecution in large numbers. For the residents of Rivers, this is unfair. To the lawyers, I am grateful. I express my gratitude to those reputable Nigerians who have been able to expose the compromise of the law. In addition, the Supreme Court, which is tasked with interpreting the legislation, has not done so. Consequently, the Supreme Court has been forgotten. The judiciary has fallen from our minds. The National Assembly is no longer on the agenda. This assembly will only be a rubber stamp assembly if it goes forward. The president has shown them to be a rubber stamp extension of themselves. That’s why we don’t care about them at all. There are no more Rivers people. In order to dry our tears, we want the governor to do what he does best. In the interest of Rivers State, we are asking the governor and all parties involved to embrace peace and cooperate. We have observed that they abuse justice, thus we don’t care about anything else that happens in the state or the nation. You only need to operate within your framework of peace when justice is twisted. We are hoping for peace while we work. We desire the handiwork of Christ to step in so that, at the very least, as Christians, we can embrace peace and act morally before both God and humanity, so bringing peace to our conscience.
How would you explain a situation where a godfather demands devotion rather than leadership, gratitude, progress, or the well-being of the populace? What consequences might this have, both immediately and over time, for our democracy?
We’re not here to judge anyone right now, as I mentioned. Now, Rivers State must make concessions. Self-forgiveness is what we are. We believe it to be detrimental to us. For that reason, we don’t remark on anyone. Right now, we just need peace. I’m going to say something that will make Rivers State more peaceful and harmonious. Regardless of the circumstances, we are forgiving one another. In my opinion, we are currently focusing on bringing forth a peace process that will advance the state.
How do you respond to those who claim that Fubara has been overthrown based on the type of agreement reached that allowed him to regain power?
There is no Fubara here to brief the Rivers people. We therefore don’t know how much conversation they had. His briefing of Rivers’ team is necessary before we can predict what they will talk. However, Fubara’s position as Rivers State’s governor is crucial right now. As Rivers State’s governor, he also has some constitutional obligations to the people and the state. These obligations are therefore outlined in the constitution, with the exception that the judiciary will overrule them. Otherwise, he remains the state’s governor. On the other hand, compromise in the cause of peace may or may not exist. Despite such, he is not a limp dog. You may give him some and give him some if he wants peace. You cannot constantly be win-win. We thus anticipate that he will see to it that we reunite as a single entity. The goal of Rivers State is to become one. It is not our intention to condemn anyone. We do not wish to give anyone any praise. However, we want to make sure that everyone involved has learned from the experience that we do not want an outsider to attempt to launder our funds again.
