The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to call to order those using federal might to disrupt states.
It specifically condemned the situation in Rivers and what it called “growing abuse of power by the Federal government” during the conduct of local government elections in the state.
Afenifere’s position was contained in a statement by its Deputy Leader, HRH Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and Prince Justice Faloye Afenifere, the National Publicity Secretary.
According to the Yoruba group, “The role of the Judiciary to muddy the election process and the refusal of the Police to do the obligatory duty of protecting the peace of the state is strongly condemned. The two institutions are complicit in the breakdown in that state.
Afenifere also called 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, insisting the move to take over the conduct of LG elections from SIECs would amount to state capture and abuse of the country’s federalism.
The Afenifere group loyal to Chief Ayo Adebanjo insisted that “Nigerian citizens would be effectively silenced and conquered by a one party dictatorship if the move to take over LG elections scales through.
“Ultimately, Afenifere reiterates its stance that only a decentralization of power from the federal government can bring true representative and efficient governance to Nigeria,” it added.
The statement read further: “Afenifere has been warning of the dangers of the Tinubu administration’s move towards overcentralized unitarist governance with his attempt to take over Local Government finance and electoral administration, whose motivation has played out in River State with the botched attempt to seize control of Rivers State.
“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 overcentralized 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 bastardization 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 Rivers 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.
“As absolute power corrupts absolutely, Nyesom Wike went ahead to carry out his earlier threats to burn down any State that doesn’t conform to his personal dictates backed by federal might, as his emboldened loyalists set fire on local government offices across River State without fear of laws only enforceable by the federal police.”
Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to understand that the Nigerian Police is an instrument to not only serve the Nigerian federal government but the Nigerian federation as a whole, adding that he “should not lend himself to abuse of the federation by the federal government.” (Daily Trust)
