Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark and Governor
Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State have incurred the wrath of the governors of
Yobe and Adamawa states for asking President Goodluck Jonathan to dismantle
democratic structures in the North-East to pave way for a full military
takeover.The two governors, Ibrahim Gaidam and Murtala Nyako, said Clark and
Akpabio, who are supposed to be democrats, threw caution to the winds by
advocating the removal of the elected representatives of the people of Borno,
Yobe and Adamawa and replacement with sole administrators.Gaidam and Nyako berated Clark and Akpabio, accusing them of
attempting to sabotage the nation’s democratic march for their parochial
political interests.The statement was signed by Abdullahi Bego, Special Adviser
(Media) to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam and Ahmad Sajoh, Director of Press and
Public Affairs to Governor Murtala Nyako.The governors described the advocacy
by Clark and Akpabio as ill-advised, provocative, unfortunate, diversionary and
totally out of sync with democratic norms and values.They pointed out that the
contemplation of the removal of the North East governors and replacement with
‘sole administrators’ is a ‘constitutional aberration, which cannot be found in
any of the 320 sections of the 1999 Constitution’.The statement said: “Mr.
Clark’s comments (and indeed Mr. Akpabio’s) therefore smack of fascism and are
clearly a veiled attempt at sabotaging our nation’s democracy which should be
resisted by all and sundry.“Curiously, both Clark and Akpabio are beneficiaries
of constitutionalism and democracy in Nigeria. It is therefore mind boggling
that the two would seek to put both constitutionalism and democracy in jeopardy
on the altar of their personal interests.”They said that Clark made a
fundamental error by comparing the situation that led to the declaration of
emergency rule in Ekiti State by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and the
current security scenario in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states, saying that the
two cases were not the same.They noted that as a former Senator Clark should
know that the meaning of the provisions of Section 305 of the 1999
Constitution, which gives the President the power to declare a state of
emergency in all or parts of the country, does not necessarily apply to
security situations.The two governors allege that by his suggestion, Clark did
not wish the President well and was out to scuttle the nation’s democracy.The
governors noted: “That Mr. Clark would gladly and blindly ignore overriding
legal opinion and historical contexts and suggest something that goes against
the letter and spirit of our Constitution as a democratic nation, go to show that
not only is he not wishing Mr. President well.”The governors also said Clark
demonstrated crass ignorance and insensitivity to the plight of people in the
North-East by suggesting that the missing Chibok school girls would not have
been kidnapped if Borno State was under a ‘total state of emergency’.They said:
“Is Clark not aware that over the past 12 months, there was all manner of
security presence in the three states when we witnessed some of the most
heinous and despicable terrorist attacks on our schools in Mamudo, Buni Yadi
and Gujba and on our towns and villages from Izge to Baga?”