From Sodiq Omolaoye, Abuja
The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has faulted the recent retreat reportedly organised by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly in the United Kingdom.
The organisation described the foreign trip as a wasteful and provocative move that undermines the ongoing democratic crisis in Rivers State.
On Sunday, the suspended Rivers lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, departed Nigeria for a tour in the United Kingdom.
Amaewhule was said to have declared open the 10th Rivers Assembly Legislative Tour of the United Kingdom on Friday.
He claimed that the legislative tour would allow the House to learn new things outside the shores of Nigeria, which would improve the capacity of members for the tasks ahead.
But CHRICED in a statement by its executive director, Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi, on Wednesday, questioned the basis of the tour, including the source of its funding and what purpose it serves for lawmakers currently facing disciplinary issues.
Zikirullahi accused Wike of using his position as FCT Minister to interfere in the affairs of Rivers State, saying that such actions are fueling instability and eroding public trust in democratic institutions.
He said: “In a shocking development, suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who are key players in this constitutional violation are currently in the United Kingdom under the guise of a “capacity building” programme.
“This extravagant retreat, reportedly hosted by Wike, raises serious questions: Who approved this trip? Who is funding it? What capacity is being built by lawmakers who have actively violated constitutional order?
“This UK trip is nothing more than a diversionary spectacle a shameful circus at the expense of the suffering people of Rivers State. While the state faces democratic decay, these suspended lawmakers and their enablers indulge in luxury abroad, disconnected from the crisis they have helped create.
“These lawmakers have been suspended over their roles in the constitutional breakdown in the state, yet they are being hosted abroad under the guise of a capacity-building programme.”
Zikirullahi also described the appointment of 23 local government administrators and the constitution of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) by Rivers’s sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), as unconstitutional.
According to him, Ibas has no authority to make such appointments, adding that such actions represent a direct affront to the will of the people.
“The silence of the Federal Government in the face of these abuses sends a dangerous message: that certain individuals are above the law and that institutions can be hijacked without consequence. This abdication of responsibility undermines the very foundations of Nigeria’s democracy.
“Rivers State is not at war, but it is bleeding—wounded by political excess, greed, and unconstitutional interference. CHRICED calls for the immediate restoration of the democratically elected government of Rivers State, led by Governor Siminalaye Fubara.
“Furthermore, we demand the immediate dismissal of Nyesom Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Both Wike and Ibas are liabilities to democratic governance and national stability.
“The people of Rivers State deserve peace, justice, and leadership that reflects their will, not one imposed through backdoor manipulations and foreign retreats. Nigeria must not normalize this dangerous precedent of turning democratic collapse into political tourism.”
