By On Monday, President Bola Tinubu urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara, political leaders, and their supporters in Rivers State to remain calm and respect the rule of law. He encouraged the political figures and their supporters to resolve their differences through the courts, emphasizing that “self-help has no place in a democratic system.”
The President’s appeal followed reports of arson and vandalism of public property after last Saturday’s local government elections in Rivers State. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu directed the police to secure public facilities and “immediately restore and maintain peace, law, and order.”
The statement, titled ‘President Tinubu Decries Violence in Rivers, Directs Police to Provide Security to Local Government Offices,’ came in the wake of the Action People’s Party (APP) securing 314 out of 319 councillorship seats across the state’s 23 local government areas. The results were announced on Sunday by Justice Adolphus Enebeli, Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). The APP won 314 wards, while the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Young People’s Party (YPP) each won one seat.
Both the Rivers PDP faction, loyal to former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and the APC, rejected the election’s conduct and outcome, claiming that no election took place on Saturday. The Rivers PDP vowed to challenge the results in court.
Despite the tension with his predecessor, Governor Fubara has already sworn in the newly elected council chairmen, intensifying unrest as supporters of both factions have laid siege to public facilities.
Expressing concern over the growing violence, Onanuga stated, “The President is deeply worried about reports of arson and explosions in the state.” The statement urged political actors to de-escalate the situation and discourage their supporters from engaging in violence or destruction. President Tinubu tasked the police with restoring order and emphasized the importance of protecting public institutions from vandalism, stating that such facilities, built with public funds, must be safeguarded.
He reiterated that self-help has no place in democracy, particularly after 25 years of uninterrupted democratic governance. The judiciary, he stressed, remains the proper avenue for settling political disputes, including those arising from this election.
