Hundreds of women from Rivers State on Friday took to the streets of Port Harcourt, asking President Bola Tinubu to reverse the ongoing emergency rule in the state.
The aggrieved women marched along the popular Aba Road from Isaac Boro Park to Garrison Junction displaying placards and chanting solidarity songs.
The protesters came out under the spices of Women Unite Prayer Group led by Dr. Nancy Chidi Nwankwo, Tamunobelema D. West and Cynthia Amadi.
The women in their position paper appealed to Tinubu to restore the democratically elected Governor of the state, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
They said: “Women of Rivers, gathered for justice and democracy, and express total rejection of the state of emergency declared over our beloved state.
“This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but clearly a politically motivated maneuver aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our democracy.
“The overreach of the Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), is glaring indicator of the political conquest. His actions, which go far beyond the limited powers of a placeholder, betray the impartiality expected of his office and reveal the real intention behind this emergency rule.
The women said they it confounding that the federal authorities in Abuja would choose to descend with full weight of force on Rivers State, deploying a sledgehammer to kill a fly, while ignoring the dire security emergencies ravaging states such as Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue.
They said: “In these states, terrorists have overrun entire communities, taken control of local governments, and brutally murdered thousands of innocent citizens. Yet, no such declaration of emergency has been made.
“If the National Assembly’s intention was truly to prevent breakdown of law and order in Rivers, a state that has remained relatively peaceful and has recorded no fatal incident, why has it failed to take even more decisive action in states where chaos and bloodshed are daily occurrences?
“The unconstitutional and provocative actions of the Sole Administrator further expose the underlying political agenda at play. What we are witnessing is not governance. it is occupation. Not democracy, but autocracy.
“Rivers people, especially women, are outraged by what is fast becoming a dual system of laws in Nigeria, one for other states, and another, unjust and repressive, for Rivers. We reject this blatant political invasion and the imposition of emergency rule in its entirety.”
The women called on eminent personalities such as former Presidents, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Muhammadu Buhari and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the Rivers scenario.
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They also appealed to distinguished diplomats such as Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Dr. Emeka Anyaoku, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Prof. Tanko Yakassai, Dr. Godknows Boladei Igali, Chief Victor Attah, and Sen David Mark, to urgently prevail upon President Tinubu to restore full democratic governance in Rivers.
They said: “Women and youths of Rivers State can no longer remain silent in the face of intimidation, repression, and disenfranchisement. We will continue to rise in peaceful resistance and demand our right to freedom, justice, and self-determination.
“We call on civil society organizations, rights groups and the international community to speak out against this assault on democracy. There is no credible security threat in Rivers to justify this state of emergency. The narrative being peddled is entirely fictitious, crafted to validate a political takeover.
“Rivers State is the heart of the Niger Delta, a region of immense national significance. Peace has prevailed in our communities. We will not allow anyone to steal our voices or subvert our will. Democracy must be restored.”