A pro-democracy group, Coalition of Civil Society in Defence of Democracy, is urging President Bola Tinubu to establish a reconciliation committee within 14 days to resolve the crisis in Rivers State.
The group’s convener, Olayemi Isaacs, expressed concerns that the state of emergency declared by President Tinubu would only lead to a forced peace, rather than genuine peace through reconciliatory steps in a democratic setting.
According to Isaacs, “Genuine peace can only come to Rivers State through reconciliatory steps taken in a truly democratic setting.”
The group criticised President Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency, stating that it validated corrupt political godfatherism by siding with former Governor Nyesom Wike.
Isaacs argued that Wike’s overbearing rent-seeking behavior was the root cause of the crisis in Rivers State.
The group demanded that President Tinubu set up a panel of non-partisan eminent Nigerians to mediate between the rival parties in the Rivers State crisis.
He said, “We call on President Bola Tinubu to end the state of emergency he imposed on Rivers State within 90 days of its proclamation. Allowing it to run longer than this period will compound the problem in the state in a way that will threaten and possibly jeopardize Nigeria’s democracy.
“Furthermore, the Coalition of Civil Society in Defence of Democracy demands that President Tinubu, within 14 days, set up a panel of non-partisan eminent Nigerians to mediate between the rival parties in the Rivers State crisis.
“The mediatory efforts must be concluded within 60 days so that the state of emergency can be lifted within 90 days of its declaration.
“Finally, we call on political parties to rein in their members in states that have similar political wranglings ongoing so that President Tinubu would not have the excuse to suspend democratic structures in more parts of the country.
“Where political parties fail to heed this counsel, they can be assured that there will not be many states left under democratic rule before the 2027 General Elections.”
