RSIEC chairman from Cross River: Tinubu disrespected, relegated Rivers people – Nwibubasa

Rivers State former Commissioner for Empowerment and Employment Generation, Dr Lelonu Nwibubasa, has accused President Bola Tinubu of disrespecting and relegating the people the state to the background.

Nwibubasa said Tinubu set a terrible precedent by appointing a non-indigene as the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.

The ex-commissioner stated this on Friday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.

The statement comes after the appointment of a Cross River state indigene, Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey, as RSIEC chairman.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio had on Thursday read a communication from Tinubu on seven nominees to be screened to occupy the positions of chairman and members of RSIEC: Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey (Chairman). The members are: Mr. Lezaasi Lenee Torbira, Professor (Dr.) Arthur Nwafor, Professor Godfrey Woke Mbudiogha, Professor (Dame) Joyce Akaniwor, Dr. (Mrs.) Olive A. Bruce and Professor Chidi Halliday.

However, speaking on the matter on Friday,
Nwibubasa described the development as adding salt to injury, accusing Tibubu of continually dismantling all government and political structures of Rivers people and replacing same with aliens.

He said: “I am surprised as you are that the state of emergency that was declared against all known constitutional provision up to this day, three months after, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, despite wide condemnations, appeals and criticism from well meaning Nigerians, has not considered that he should rescind that very unconstitutional decision.

“Rather, what we see, like you have said, is to add salt to injury by continually depleting all known government and political structures of Rivers people and replacing same with aliens.

“I want to ask, where in Nigeria have we had an Independent Electoral Commission of a state headed by someone from another state? This is a terrible precedent.

“And so Nigerians shall also be asking if we can get chairman of electoral commissions from other countries like Ghana and those doing well in their democracy to come and head that of Nigeria, since Rivers State has become the space where we will begin to experiment this kind of thing.

“So to us in Rivers State, it is an embarrassing moment. It is a complete show of disrespect to Rivers people by the President Tinubu administration. He has disregarded River State so badly, pushing us to the background, forgetting our contribution to national growth and development and to the stabilization of the of this country.

“I think this it is a joke taken too far, and as Rivers people, I can tell you that what we see today in the entire jamboree of the National Assembly, seeing clearly that the man nominated is not from Rivers State, yet they went ahead to allow it pass because the President has sanctioned it.

“I can tell you that the National Assembly is laid up because you cannot identify something that you have seen as an aberration, and as lawmakers, you could not come back to tell the President this cannot fly, that it has to be a Rivers indigene. Yet they went ahead, after noting this aberration, and put it in there that we have this bitter pill to swallow. This is unfortunate, and I can tell you that Rivers, people are not happy. We will fight this thing constitutionally.”