Prodemocracy and civil rights advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has lambasted the interim administrator appointed by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Rivers state Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (rtd) for behaving like a bull in the China shop in the way he has gone about demolishing all democratic structures in the state such as the tearing down of the official portraits of the democratically sitting governor Siminialayi Fubara from public buildings.
National coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said in Abuja
“that the attempt by the military administrator to sneak his way into the office of the civilian elected and inaugurated executive head of the government of Rivers state should be resisted by all the good people of Rivers state who voluntarily and willingly donated their democratic mandate to the gentleman who inevitably remains the validly inaugurated sitting governor of Rivers state in the person of Mr. Siminilayi Fubara.
“We in HURIWA and about 36 other registred Non governmental organisations, reject this unconstitutional overreach and the systematic power grab effort by someone who proudly told us that he served Nigeria for 40 whole years and was unblemished before he left the milieaey as the nation’s Naval Chief.
“We in HURIWA and our 36 affiliates, are by this media advisory asking the retired Naval General Ibok Ete-Ibas to preserve his good name and reputation by rejecting his current politically charged assignment that is completely against the spirit,the principle and the essence of the Grund Norm. We urge him to stop being used to destroy democracy in Rivers state.”
HURIWA also observed that the administrator has demonstrated his aversion for the rule of law by flouting an extant order of the Federal High Court, PortHarcourt division that stopped him from appointing unelected local government council administrators by proceeding to disregard the Court by appointing his Kangaroo local government councils administrators.
“HURIWA strongly condemns this illegal occupant of the position of the administrator of Rivers state who has demonstrated that he is so power hungry and is out for systematic power grab. We condemn as reprehensible, despicable and unconstitutional the decision by this so-called sole administrator to appoint fresh appointees into the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission even when there are Electoral commissioners and Chairman whose tenure hasn’t elapsed.
“On which legal provision is this sole administrator relying upon to sack members of a statutory board such as the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission and why violate the constitutional provision that mandates that only elected officials should govern the Local Government Areas rather than the contraption of picking some unelected persons as Local council administrators? This is absolutely despicable and condemnable. This partisan insanity going on should be halted now.
HURIWA referenced another recent observation by a former top diplomatic official of Nigeria who served in several federal ministries as permanent secretary Dr. Godknows Igali who carpeted the Rivers state administrator for orchestrating
a systematic tearing down of various structures, which are crucial for the continued consolidation of democracy in Rivers State even as we support Ambassador Igali’s caution against the undermining of democratic institutions in Rivers state. HURIWA wondered whether the administrator whose period of assignment constitutionally shouldn’t exceed 6 months is already working with the mindset that the take over of government in Rivers state is total and irreversible. This undemocratic and primitive mindset must be condemned. The fact is that the validly recognised sitting governor of Rivers state remains Mr. Siminilayi Fubara until the expiration of his constitutional tenure because the elected and tenured president of Nigeria lacks the power to abridge the tenure of office of a sitting governor.
HURIWA recalled that the erstwhile senior Nigerian Diplomat Ambassador Igali criticized Ibas, stating,“Your presence in Rivers State is an embarrassing aberration to all men of goodwill and good conscience.”
He Ambassdor Godknows Igali further outlined several undemocratic steps taken by Ibas since assuming office, including the removal of photographs of the elected governor from government offices, even though he had not been formally removed.
Igali said the first of such undemocratic actions of the sole administrator“is the removal of the photographs of the elected governor from all offices when he has not yet been removed from office.
“This I saw first-hand at the Port Harcourt International Airport, where I often pass through and was told this was at the behest of your administration.
“On enquiry, I was told that this has happened in all other government offices around the state. Beyond that, is your most recent decision to suspend the boards of existing statutory institutions such as state Independent Electoral Commission, Governing Councils of Tertiary Institutions, and even the revered Traditional Rulers Council.
“I do not claim to be an expert on constitutional matters but as one who has been atop in the country’s bureaucracy and from best global practices around the world which I know too well from my diplomatic career of nearly half a century, the duties of a sole administrator as a placeholder are:
HURIWA recalled that Ambassador Igali stated too that: “Making decisions in an interim manner regarding the management and day to day administration of the state; financial control, especially receiving money, making payments, and ensuring transparency; managing personnel and ensuring other human resource functions; and taking measures to ensure peace, particularly using the office to intermediate and bring back peace to the realm in question; in this case, Rivers State.”
HURIWA strongly condemned the insatiable quest for consolidation of power in Rivers state by the illegally appointed interim administrator who has violated the Nigerian Constitution and disrespected the court of competent jurisdiction by setting up his Kangaroo administrators for the Rivers state local government area councils which the Rights group in the media release by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko insisted is a gross violation of chapter 1, part 2, Section 7 of the Constitution which provide that (1) The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this Constitution guaranteed; and accordingly, the Government of every State shall, subject to section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a Law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils.
(2) The person authorised by law to prescribe the area over which a local government council may exercise authority shall-
(a) define such area as clearly as practicable; and
(b) ensure, to the extent to which it may be reasonably justifiable that in defining such area regard is paid to –
i) the common interest of the community in the area;
(ii) traditional association of the community; and
(iii) administrative convenience.
(3) it shall be the duty of a local government council within the State to participate in economic planning and development of the area referred to in subsection (2) of this section and to this end an economic planning board shall be established by a Law enacted by the House of Assembly of the State.
(4) The Government of a State shall ensure that every persons who is entitled to vote or be voted for at an election to House of Assembly shall have the right to vote or be voted for at an election to a local government council.
(5) The functions to be conferred by Law upon local government council shall include those set out in the Fourth Schedule to this Constitution.
(6) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution
(a) the National Assembly shall make provisions for statutory allocation of public revenue to local government councils in the Federation; and
(b) the House of Assembly of a State shall make provisions for statutory allocation of public revenue to local government councils within the State.
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