In every electioneering season in Rivers State, women remain the most visible and valuable mobilizers from campaign songs, grassroots outreach, to welfare distribution and voter sensitization.
We are the heartbeat of political participation. Yet, our contributions are often ignored, and we are left to bear the brunt of political instability and democratic breaches.
Today, as women of Rivers State, we are raising our voices against what we consider an assault on our democratic values and structures.
The recent developments in the state , including the purported declaration of a de facto state of emergency, and the unconstitutional suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and elected members of the State House of Assembly are nothing short of a calculated attempt to rule Rivers State by proxy from Abuja.
The imposition of a Sole Administrator in under the guise of restoring peace has gone far beyond constitutional limits.
He has already begun making political appointments, dissolving established government structures, and attempting to control the levers of governance in the state.
Furthermore, the recent appointments of unelected local government administrators are in clear violation of the landmark Supreme Court judgment delivered in State Governor’s v. Attorney General of the Federation which prohibits the disbursement of federal allocations to local governments without duly elected chairpersons and councillors.
This is a judicial pronouncement that must be respected by all, including the Federal Government.
As women, mothers, and defenders of democratic ideals, we appeal to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other international bodies to intervene in this crisis.
We urge them to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also currently chairs ECOWAS , an institution known for resisting unconstitutional leadership in other West African nations to apply the same democratic standards within Nigeria.
Our concerns are not political. They are existential.
Over 15,000 political appointments, affecting men and women, have been suspended or terminated. Countless livelihoods have been disrupted. Small businesses, dependent on the ripple effects of political stability and public sector operations, are crumbling. Fear has gripped our homes. Our children go to school in anxiety, unsure of what the next day holds.
This is why we, the women of Rivers State, are calling on all men and women of conscience, all patriots of justice and democracy, to join their voices with ours. We call on the National Assembly, civil society, the media, and the international community to demand an end to this absurdity and the immediate restoration of democratic order in Rivers State.
History will not forget our silence, but it will honour our courage.
Signed:
Concerned Women of Rivers State
