BREAKING: PANDEF Ex-Official Defends President Tinubu’s Actions Amid Rivers State Crisis

The immediate past publicity secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and convener of the Concerned Citizens of Rivers State group, Ken Robinson, has come out in defense of President Bola Tinubu over the handling of the political crisis in Rivers State.

In an interview with Vanguard, Robinson argued that the president was acting on valid intelligence and security reports regarding threats to the state’s infrastructure.

Robinson responded to criticisms suggesting that President Tinubu had been misinformed about the situation in Rivers State.

He stated, “Concerning the issue of the bombing of critical facilities following the political crisis in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu has security personnel across the country that give him intelligence reports. So it may be out of place to say that the president was misinformed or twisted the truth.”

According to Robinson, the president’s actions were based on legitimate security concerns rather than misinformation.

He further explained that the security threat was very real, stemming from statements made by individuals within the state.

“The reality was that there was a threat to the economy. The people made statements that ordinarily should not have been made. People made threats that the critical infrastructure could not be guaranteed,” Robinson said.

Naija News reports that he acknowledged that these statements were likely made out of anger and emotion but cautioned that such rhetoric could have been exploited by criminal elements in the society.

Robinson emphasized the need for leaders to be mindful of the consequences of their public statements during times of crisis.

“They may have made those statements out of anger, emotions, and all of that, but obviously, they may not have been the ones that had carried out the threat because there are criminal elements in society who take advantage of any crisis, which is why, as leaders, we should be careful about our public statements,” he remarked.

In his defense of the president’s actions, Robinson highlighted the volatile political situation in Rivers State, pointing out that the state House of Assembly had served notice of misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

He warned that there had been threats of violence from various quarters if lawmakers went ahead with the impeachment process.

“Nobody knows what would have happened by now because the state House of Assembly had served notice of misconduct on the governor, and there were threats of violence if the lawmakers impeached Governor Fubara. No sensitive government will allow that kind of situation to continue,” Robinson stated.