President Bola Tinubu on Monday condemned the renewed political crisis in Rivers State, urging parties in the crisis to sheathe their swords in the interest of peace.
He called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, political leaders and their supporters in Rivers State to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law in resolving the crisis in the state.
The President also ordered the Inspector General of Police to immediately deploy his men to curtail the crisis and protect the public facilities in the state.
The President’s directive was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday.
According to the statement, President Tinubu ordered the police to guard public facilities to “restore and maintain peace, law and order immediately.”
He urged the political actors and their supporters to settle their differences in court, saying, “Self-help has no place in a democratic system.”
The President’s admonition follows reports of arson and vandalism of public facilities in Rivers State after last Saturday’s local government elections.
The statement said, “the President expressed deep concern over reports of arson and explosions in the state.”
“He urged all political actors to de-escalate the situation and discourage their supporters from engaging in violence or destructive actions. President Tinubu directed the police to restore and maintain peace, law, and order immediately.
“While instructing law enforcement agencies to bring the situation under control, he emphasised the need to ensure the security of public institutions. President Tinubu said government facilities built with public funds must be safeguarded from vandalism.
“He stressed that self-help has no place in a democratic system, especially after 25 years of continuous democracy. According to President Tinubu, the judiciary can settle all political disputes, and the outcome of this election should be no exception”, he noted.
The renewed crisis is coming following the outcome of the last Saturday local government election where the Action People’s Party secured 314 out of 319 councillorship seats and the 22 chairmanship seats out of the 23 local government areas.
The Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, announced the results in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
According to the RSIEC, the APP won 314 wards, while the All Progressives Congress, Labour Party, Social Democratic Party and Young People’s Party each clinched one seat.
The Rivers State PDP and the APC factions rejected the conduct and outcome of the election on Sunday, saying no election held on Saturday.
The Rivers PDP loyal to the former Governor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, vowed to challenge the results in court.
