Elder statesman and National Coordinator of South-South Elders Forum, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has described as unconstitutional, obnoxious and the height of political intolerance, the Executive Order 21 signed by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
This was as he said that Governor Wike’s continuous undemocratic actions have continued to portray him as the biggest threat to the survival of democracy in Rivers State.
He tasked Rivers people to stand up to defend themselves from the obnoxious and unconstitutional law called Executive Order 21.
Chief Sara-Igbe specifically said that the Order was not backed by the Constitution, stressing that the action of Governor Wike in respect to the Executive Order 21 asking political parties to apply to the Commissioner for Education for permit and the payment of N5 million before carrying on with campaigns in public schools premises and other public squares, is not covered by the Constitution
While urging political parties and politicians to challenge the Order in Court, Chief Sara-Igbe, who was the pioneer spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), noted that the so-called Executive Order 21 cannot stand legal interrogation owing to the fact that it lacked constitutional backing.
In the words of Sara-Igbe; “If the actions of the Governor are not checked, they will snowball into a major political crisis in the state.
“The Order 21 is contrary to Chapter IV, Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides for the right to Freedom of Association and Assembly.
“Governor Wike is only trying to intimidate, suppress, stifle, harass, arm-twist and cow other political parties from carrying out their legitimate campaigns for the 2023 elections”.
These were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Chief Sara-Igbe in which he said that the development was however not surprising owing to the usual antics, repressive style of governance and undemocratic tendencies of Wike.
Sara-Igbe, who is the National Coordinator of the South-South Elders Forum, stressed that the Wike’s Order 21 was made in bad faith by a governor who is a lawyer and life bencher, adding that such an Order was most unfortunate and a ridicule to the Nigerian Body of Benchers.
Chief Sara-Igbe specifically said that the obnoxious Order is a product of executive rascality and the height of political intolerance exhibited by the Governor of Rivers State, adding that laws are made for peace, order and good governance of society as against selfish purposes. He further said; “Only tyrannical rulers can make such cruel and oppressive order. Executive Orders of a State Governor are a mere instrument of administrative purposes or directives to Agencies and Departments of Government. It is not a law as it does not form part of the Constitution nor claim parity with it.
“The obnoxious Executive Order 21 is a deliberate move by the Governor to constrict and stiffen the political space in Rivers State, weaken the strength of other political parties and kill fair electoral contest with the sole intention of conferring undue political advantage on his party against other political parties ahead of the 2023 General Election.
“The Executive Order 21 is undemocratic, obnoxious, demonic and an oppressive administrative rule of the Governor and it is not an enforceable law in Nigeria because it is unconstitutional null and void, as it is inconsistent and contrary to the Provisions of 1999 Constitution.
“It is obvious and clear that the Governor and his Party, the PDP, are not sure of victory in 2023 General Election, hence, the desperation to apply and introduce crude and dirty political means of coercing and intimidating other political parties and the electorates in the State.”
He noted that Governor Wike recently took other political parties to Court with the intent of asking the Court to ban them from contesting in the 2023 elections and therefore, appealed to the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the State Security Services and other relevant security agencies to quickly advise Governor Wike to stop his act of intimidation.
Sara-Igbe further said; “May I also call on the leadership of other political parties in the state to swiftly take legal actions, challenging the constitutionality of the so-called Executive Oder 21 in the Federal High Court with a view to nullifying the obnoxious Order 21 and setting it aside as an illegal instrument of the Rivers State Government”.
