The pan-Nigerian social welfarist group, Afenifere, has denounced the growing abuse of power by the authorities, especially over the ugly incidence that happened on October 5, 2024 during the Rivers State local government elections.
Afenifere condemned the undue power play by the political gladiators in the state, including federal government’s body language, describing it as deliberate effort to destroy democracy in Nigeria.
Chief Ayo Adebayo, leader of Afenifere, in a press release on Thursday, jointly signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan, deputy leader and Prince Justice Faloye Afenifere national publicity secretary, stated that while Afenifere sues for peace among the Rivers State political factions for the sake of the citizens, the group called on President Bola Tinubu to rein in those using federal might to disrupt States.
“Unable to use other means to frustrate and usurp the Rivers State Governor, the Federal Government has been used by the governor’s previous Godfather, Mr Nyesom Wike, to go for the jugular by attempting to takeover the control of the local governments. The inherent abuse and inefficiency of our over-centralised structure was deployed in favor of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, to pursue his personal political ambitions to undemocratically control the state after falling out with his political protege.
“Following the further bastardisation of the judiciary to sabotage the Rivers State local government elections with a kangaroo court judgement to withhold Rivers State voters register, the federally controlled police was withdrawn from its statutory obligations to safeguard true and fair elections in the state. With a spirit of defiance to uphold the principles of federalism, the River State government went ahead to hold elections in its administrative units aka local governments,” it stated.
Afenifere mentioned that the former governor who allegedly stated to burn states that doesn’t conform to his personal dictates, made good his bidding on the local government offices attack across Rivers State. Afenifere also implored the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to understand that the Nigerian Police is an instrument that serves not only the Federal Government, but the Nigerian federation as a whole.
“The unfolding River State debacle confirms Afenifere warning that the planned takeover of local governments finance and elections by the federal government is essentially a gimmick for state capture, disguised as helping states to manage their administrative units. Local governments are the pillars of states which if taken over will render state governors irrelevant. This is like a situation where United Nations adjudge the Federal Government of Nigeria to be hopelessly corrupt and entrenching Nigerians into poverty, therefore handing over Nigerian States to our former colonial masters or another foreign body with the promise of better management, which will make the federal government an empty irrelevant vessel with no territory, leaving the people at the mercy of a foreign colonists.
“It is an understatement that Afenifere is dismayed by the long history of state governors’ maladministration of their local governments and the administrative units of state governments. However, the proper management or mismanagement of a state through its administrative units is essentially the sole responsibility of the state government. As bad as state governments might be in the administration of their states, the federalisation of their administrative units and local governments, strike at the heart of our federalism and democratic separation and balance of power bargained, prior to our independence as a nation,” says Afenifere.
The group said the citizenry stand a better chance with 36 states with mismanaged administrative units, than negating states for a single federal power source, stating that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It also noted that what one federally empowered administration can do to arrest our collective freedoms can’t be achieved by 36 state dictators.
“The attempt by Wike to capture River State through local governments, allegedly backed by the Tinubu administration, is indicative of how the president plans to takeover the 774 local governments by using INEC to impose local government chairmen in order to create a one party state, as he has done in Lagos State for the last 25 years. While some state governments, in control of their local governments, have a chance to resist the imposition of a one party across the nation by the ruling party, local government chairmen would be mere pawns selected and deselected by an almighty Federal Government.
“Afenifere, hereby, calls on all patriotic citizens, especially state Assemblies to reject the Local Autonomy Independent Electoral Commission Establishment Bill 2024 currently being pushed through the National Assembly, otherwise states without their local governments are empty vessels, and Nigerian citizens would be effectively silenced and conquered by a one party plan. Ultimately, Afenifere reiterates its stance that only a decentralisation of power from the Federal Government can bring true representative and efficient governance to Nigeria.”
