Jonathan Breaks Silence on Rivers Crisis: ‘Clear Abuse of Power by All Actors

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has criticised the way the state has handled its political crisis.

On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State due to political and security instability in the state, and suspended Siminalayi Fubara, the governor; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the House of Assembly.

The National Assembly in turn voted in favour of the president’s decision by voice votes.

At the Haske Satumari Foundation’s annual colloquium in Abuja on Saturday, Jonathan accused all three organs of government of abusing their power.

“As a former president and also from the Niger Delta, when the issue of suspending the governor of Rivers state came up, I think people called on me, President Jonathan and ex-President Obasanjo to say something,” he said.

ALSO READ Jonathan Reveals: The Truth Behind 2014 Confab Report Non-Implementation

“People expected us to say something about what was happening. But traditionally, all over the world, former presidents hardly make statements about what the current presidents are doing because of the tension it could create in the country.

“What is happening in Nigeria today regarding the situation in Rivers state is like an Indian proverb that says: ‘If somebody is sleeping, really sleeping, you can easily wake up that person. But if that person is pretending to sleep, you (will) find it difficult to wake up that person.

ALSO READ I Was Offered ₦5bn Bribe to Impeach Fubara – Rivers Chief of Staff

According to the former president, “The key actors in Nigeria, from the executive to the legislature, judiciary and the Senate and the judiciary… they know the correct thing to do. But they are refusing to do it.

“They are pretending to sleep and waking such a person is extremely difficult because the person knows the right thing. A clear abuse of office and a clear abuse of power cutting across from the three arms of government — from the executive to the parliament and the judiciary.”