Nigeria sliding into full-blown dictatorship -Bode George
By John Okezie
Former national Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has warned that Nigeria is “sliding dangerously into full-blown dictatorship”.
He particularly condemned the emergency rule and suspension of elected officials in Rivers State.
Speaking during a press briefing in his Lagos office on Monday, George described the action in Rivers as an assault on democracy and criticised the President’s actions, saying the state of emergency was declared without any major incidents of violence in the oil-rich state.
“The President’s real motive is to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take control of Rivers through the back door”, he said.
President Tinubu last week sought the National Assembly’s approval for some appointments in Rivers State, including a Chairman and six members for the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). These nominees were proposed by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), the Sole Administrator.
But George described the appointments as ‘problematic’ as they are being made by an administrator he said is “in office illegally.” He also said that the implication is that an unconstitutionally appointed individual would be empowered to conduct council elections in the state.
“The President’s insistence on these appointments reveals a troubling disregard for democratic principles. This move raises serious concerns about the concentration of power and undermines the very fabric of our democratic institutions, suggesting a calculated effort to bypass accountability and manipulate state functions at a time when the people’s voice should be paramount”, he said.
George challenged President Tinubu’s authority to suspend elected officials while recalling past criticism by Tinubu himself against former President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2013, when Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states without removing their governors, Tinubu who was then in opposition had accused him of “setting in motion a chain of events the end of which nobody can predict.”
George said: “President Tinubu, if, in 2013, you accused Jonathan, somebody who did not remove Shettima and others from office, of ‘setting in motion a chain of events the end of which nobody can predict’, what do you want Nigerians to say about you with your suspension of democratically-elected governor, his deputy and lawmakers?”
He said that nowhere in the Nigerian constitution where it stated that democratically elected officials, can be removed by an emergency declaration. George also condemned the National Assembly’s approval of the emergency rule by voice vote, arguing that the constitution mandates a two-thirds approval from both chambers.
He urged President Tinubu to reconsider his actions, saying that power is transient and not absolute. “Nigerians are suffering but these operators don’t care about the people. If they don’t apply the brake now, the wrong direction they are heading may lead to political collapse”, he said.
