Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has strongly condemned what he described as efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to legitimise illegally in Rivers State by constituting an electoral body that will conduct local government elections in Rivers State under a sitting sole administrator, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas.

President Tinubu, in a letter presented and read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session, requested confirmation for the appointment of a Chairman and six Members of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), with reports saying that these nominees were proposed by Vice Admiral Ibas (rtd.), the sole administrator responsible for overseeing the state’s affairs.

The president, also in the letter, requested confirmation of other appointments to key offices in the state, underscoring the necessity of such appointments to facilitate effective governance during the emergency period and to assist the administrator in managing state functions efficiently.

George gave this position at a press conference, which took place at his Ikoyi office.

The meeting was attended by key leaders of the party, including former Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, Aduke Maina, Onikepo Oshodi, former Chairman PDP in Lagos State, Tunji Shelle (Rtd).

George insisted that giving room for a sole administrator to conduct local government elections under a democratic system of government amounted to illegality.

The PDP chieftain, in his address titled: “Enough of executive recklessness and brigandage,” sadly noted that recent events in Rivers State were indications that the administration of the nation’s democracy remained problematic, citing the current move by President Tinubu to legitimize what he termed illegality in the state through the request he made to the Senate for approval of key appointments in the state as part of the measures instituted under the state of emergency.

George, who is also the Atona Oodua of Yoruba land argued that the implication of the move was that a person in office illegally was now being mandated to conduct council elections in this oil-bearing state, declaring that the step taken so far by President Tinubu had no doubt made Nigerians to doubt his claim of being a democrat.

“Twenty-six years after the restoration of civilian governance, a growing number of Nigerians are left questioning the authenticity of a government that claims to be of, by, and for the people. It is time for us to confront these challenges head-on and demand a democracy that truly serves its citizens.

“The president’s insistence on these appointments reveals a troubling disregard for democratic principles. This move raises serious concerns about the concentration of power and undermines the very fabric of our democratic institutions, suggesting a calculated effort to bypass accountability and manipulate state functions at a time when the people’s voice should be paramount.

“The implication of the above is that a person in office illegally is now being mandated to conduct council elections in this oil-bearing state.

“I want to reiterate that what the president is doing in this Rivers matter is completely illegal, and Nigerians know this. Constitutionality is being disregarded and disrespected. It is not possible for illegality to overcome legality. It will never happen, now or later,” Chief George stated.

“Those in charge of the polity have closed their ears to reasoning and deliberately come out with policies capable of disintegrating the country. Pitiably, lovers of Nigeria are too timid to challenge them.

“It is disheartening that Nigeria is precariously and dangerously staggering on the path of self-destruction. I pray this trouble does not start from Rivers State.

“The president is not the government. The governor is not the government. It is the people who constitute governance and government. The moment you take the mandate of the people away, it is no longer democracy. That is exactly what is happening in Rivers State,” he added.

Speaking further, Chief George equally condemned some state governors and members of the PDP who left the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), assuring that the main opposition party remained a well structured platform that can weather all storms.

The PDP chieftain assured that the party would bounce back strong and better, stressing that it is those leaving it that would regret their action and be put to shame, just as he urged them to go and learn from those who left the party in the past who latter retraced their steps back to the party. (BusinessDay)