The Recover Nigeria Project, a civil society organisation, has advised the three-tiers of government in Rivers to respect the rule of law for an enduring peace to reign in the state.
The group said that keeping to the rule of law would help to avert future political impasse that led to the declaration of emergency rule in the state from March 18 to Sept. 18.
The group’s convener and rights crusader, Mr Osita Obi, gave the advice in an interview in Awka on Sunday.
Obi said: “It is a welcome development for Gov. Siminallayi Fubara and his team and Mr Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly to be back to office as democratically elected officials.
“My advise to the three arms of government in the state is to respect the rule of law now that the six-month suspension for the executive and legislature is over.
“This will ensure security of lives and property in the state, peace and rapid development.
“Every department of government must work within the ambit of the law in order to demonstrate respect for one another.”
According to him, a situation where elephants and lions continue to fight, the grass will continue to suffer.
Obi argued that the suspension of the Rivers executive and legislative arms of government should not have happened, given that the governor and legislators were democratically elected.
He said that the impasse ought to have been resolved politically, since the country practices democracy and not military or any other form of government.
“When things go wrong in a democracy, they are resolved using democratic means and not to quickly declare a state of emergency, which is detrimental to democracy.
The rights activist further said that there was a need to give peace a chance by the political leaders, to enable the people to enjoy the dividend of democracy.
He opined that the emergency rule could have been averted, if the three-tiers of government adhered strictly to the rule of law.
“What happened in Rivers was that the three arms of government were compromised, resulting in a state of emergency.
“However, democratic tenets should have been followed to resolve the impasse because we are in a democracy and not jungle rule,” Obi said.
NAN recalls that Tinubu had during the proclamation of the emergency rule declared that there was a total paralysis of governance in the state, brought about by the governor and lawmakers being unable to work together.
Tinubu frowned that critical economic assets of the state, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised.
“The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden, such that the members were divided into two groups.
“Four members worked with the governor, while 27 other members opposed the governor,” the president said.
In a state-wide broadcast on resumption of office after the emergency rule on Friday, Fubara said, “in the course of the six-month period, President Bola Tinubu graciously brokered the peace process with all the parties successfully.
“Our leader, His Excellency, Nyesome Ezenwo Wike, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I, as your governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation in the best interest of our dear Rivers State.