There are moves to prolong the emergency rule imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, Chisom Gbali, Commissioner for Youth under the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has alleged.
In an interview on AriseTV, Gbali accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, alongside his allies, of orchestrating moves aimed at destabilizing the state government to justify a continuation of the emergency rule.
“There is a plan to extend it,” Gbali said, referring to the emergency rule. “Before the end of the six months, they want to incite problems that will make the President make another pronouncement. Of course, you know if there is any pronouncement, it calls for the end of the administration.”
The emergency rule, declared in March, led to the suspension of all elected officials in the state for an initial six-month period. While the state has remained largely peaceful since the declaration, Gbali questioned the justification for such drastic measures, accusing the federal government of political bias.
“All these issues are geared towards 2027, and we are so surprised that His Excellency will be meddling in this kind of matter when there are more burning issues,” Gbali said, criticizing President Tinubu’s role in the crisis.
“In politics, there is what we call body language. You will see that if you study the body language, that is the plan — where they set aside the subsisting projects, wanting to design a budget. But you know someone that was sent to establish peace even wants to install sole administrators at the local government level,” he noted.
Gbali questioned why Rivers State was subjected to emergency rule while other states grappling with more severe security issues have not received similar treatment.
“People are dying every day in Plateau State, but there is no state of emergency. But in Rivers State, there was a declaration of emergency when we did not have anybody hurt. In Rivers State, everyone is going about their duty, and that is why everyone is calling on the President to rescind his decision,” he said.
