Tear and Tensions: Rivers Women Divide Over Emergency Rule
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Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is currently the scene of political unrest, as protests by opposing groups of women reveal stark divisions over the recently declared state of emergency.
President Bola Tinubu’s decision to suspend Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and appoint Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) as Sole Administrator has sparked heated reactions across the region.
On Monday morning, hundreds of women dressed in white attire gathered at Garrison Bus Stop in the city center, singing solidarity songs and marching through Aba Road in support of the emergency rule.
The pro-emergency group expressed their approval of Ibas’s appointment and denounced the suspended leadership.
This follows a separate protest last week by another group of women, under the aegis of “Rivers Women for Sim,” who opposed the emergency rule.
During their demonstration, the anti-emergency protesters called on former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, and Goodluck Jonathan to help restore democratic governance in Rivers State.
As tensions escalate, clashes between security operatives and the anti-emergency group further underscore the division.
On Monday, approximately 200 women chanting for the reinstatement of Governor Fubara encountered resistance from security forces.
Despite displaying placards with messages such as “Ibas leave us alone” and “Our democracy is threatened,” the protesters were met with tear gas, prompting chaos as participants fled.
Critics of the emergency rule, including civil society organizations and 11 PDP governors, have labeled the decision a threat to democracy, questioning the legitimacy of the process behind the National Assembly’s approval.
A Supreme Court case now looms as the PDP governors challenge the president’s authority to suspend an elected state government.
The volatile situation in Rivers State continues to attract national attention, with protesters on both sides voicing concerns over governance, democracy, and the future of the oil-rich state.
The competing demonstrations highlight the deepening divide among Rivers residents in response to the emergency rule and raise questions about the path forward amidst political turbulence.
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