Former president Goodluck Jonathan has criticised the suspension of elected officials in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, saying the move is capable of denting the country’s image.
While speaking as the Chairman at the Haske Satumari Foundation Colloquium in Abuja on Saturday, Jonathan said he was disappointed that elected officials had been removed.
“These actions by key actors in the executive and legislative arms of government paint the country in a negative light,” he said.
His stance comes days after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich South-South region, and then suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
He said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that has been witnessing political turmoil as a result of the disagreement between the state governor and the state lawmakers.
“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months,” the President declared.
The president appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the state’s administrator to oversee governance.
“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate,” he said.
However, Jonathan while sharing his thoughts about the political turmoil in Rivers, said although it is not the norm for former presidents to comment on issues in the polity so as not to heat up the polity, he insisted that the image of the country and how much investments a country attracts is heavily dependent on the actions of the executive, legislature and judiciary of the country.
According to him, his comment was necessitated by persistent calls from many Nigerians to speak on the events in Rivers State as a prominent son of the Niger Delta.
He decried the situation where an individual can dictate to the judiciary what to do, saying that it makes it difficult for anyone to have faith in the judiciary.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu said the emergency measure was necessary to restore peace.
He added that the proclamation had been published in the Federal Gazette and forwarded to the National Assembly.
Tinubu added, “This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.
“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.”