Enough Is Enough, Rivers Crisis Will End Nigeria’s Democracy If It Is Not Stopped

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George has called for an urgent intervention into the political crisis plaguing Rivers State.

Speaking in Lagos on Friday, the elder statesman urged elders and stakeholders of the PDP to look into the situation before it becomes a national conflagration.

He also warned President Bola Tinubu to take the threat by some lawmakers in the state House of Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara seriously.

The PDP chieftain argued that the oil-bearing state belongs to PDP, and advised that nobody should sit on the fence and pretend as if everything is okay.

George maintained that all the PDP lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have automatically lost their seats “and they are in no position to threaten Governor Fubara.

He said, “Rivers people belong to PDP. Those threatening to impeach the governor are being remote-controlled by some forces. This must stop because if Rivers is set on fire today, that may end this democracy.

“We should remember ‘Operation Wetie’ which started in the defunct Western Region and eventually consumed the nation and ended the First Republic in 1966.

“All the actors in this crisis in Rivers should avoid actions likely to cause breach of peace and breakdown of law and order in our country.

“Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of our party should be the elders in the room, act swiftly and nip this crisis in the bud before it consumes everybody.

“All the gladiators should also think of the collective interests of Nigerians.

“Whether we’re members of PDP, APC or other parties, we should stop issuing provocative statements to increase the tension in Rivers.

“Any move that can truncate this democracy must be stopped immediately. Enough is enough.”