![[Nigeria] Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/1397.jpg.webp?itok=RNbPkzeS "President Olusegun Obasanjo")
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo slapped emergency rule on southwestern Ekiti state on Thursday as tensions mount in two other Nigerian states over the controversial impeachment of state governors.
In a special broadcast on state radio and television, Obasanjo said he took the measure because the situation “clearly presents danger of possible breakdown of public order and public safety”. He also said he aimed to prevent violence that could erupt in other parts of the country.
Political tension and violence has risen in Nigeria in recent months in the lead-up to presidential elections scheduled for next April. Efforts to fight corruption - either genuine or trumped up for political gain - have also inflamed rivalry for a share of power or revenue in Africa’s most populous, oil-rich country.
Ekiti state has been politically adrift since Monday when local legislators sacked the state governor, Ayo Fayose, and his deputy, Abiodun Olujimi, for allegedly stealing public funds. A legislator was immediately sworn in as acting governor, but both Fayose and Olujimi continued to claim the right to be governor.
Obasanjo suspended the office of elected governor and the legislature for six months and immediately swore in a former army general, Tunji Olurin, as sole administrator. Olurin had served as head of the West African peacekeeping force in Liberia.
President Obasanjo said he took the measures to stop instability from spreading across Nigeria, a nation with more than 250 ethnic groups that is frequently shaken by ethnic and religious strife.
Clement Nwankwo, a prominent human rights lawyer, said he fears the political situation unfolding in Ekiti may play out nationwide and disrupt next year’s elections. If successful, next April's vote will be the first time power changes hands democratically in Nigeria.
“What has happened in Ekiti is a sign of what might happen nationally,” Nwankwo told IRIN. “I think there is serious cause to worry,” Nwankwo said. “Once the rule of law fails, then clearly you can't have democracy. And that seems to be where we are heading.”
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a financial crime-busting body set up by Obasanjo, 31 of Nigeria's 36 state governors are under investigation for graft.
The governors have countered that EFCC actions are politically motivated and aimed at strengthening Obasanjo's hand ahead of next year’s polls.
In Plateau State in central Nigeria, two people were shot dead by police on Friday when mobs marched on the legislative building to protest an impeachment notice served on governor Joshua Dariye.
In Anambra State in the southeast, the legislature there served an impeachment notice on governor Peter Obi, accusing him of ineptitude. Thousands of protesters there have besieged the legislature building.
The only other time Obasanjo has imposed a state of emergency during his seven-year rule was in May 2004 when communal tensions in central Plateau State boiled over into conflict that drove more than 250,000 people from their homes, and may have killed 1,000 people, according to human rights groups.
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In a special broadcast on state radio and television, Obasanjo said he took the measure because the situation “clearly presents danger of possible breakdown of public order and public safety”. He also said he aimed to prevent violence that could erupt in other parts of the country.
Political tension and violence has risen in Nigeria in recent months in the lead-up to presidential elections scheduled for next April. Efforts to fight corruption - either genuine or trumped up for political gain - have also inflamed rivalry for a share of power or revenue in Africa’s most populous, oil-rich country.
Ekiti state has been politically adrift since Monday when local legislators sacked the state governor, Ayo Fayose, and his deputy, Abiodun Olujimi, for allegedly stealing public funds. A legislator was immediately sworn in as acting governor, but both Fayose and Olujimi continued to claim the right to be governor.
Obasanjo suspended the office of elected governor and the legislature for six months and immediately swore in a former army general, Tunji Olurin, as sole administrator. Olurin had served as head of the West African peacekeeping force in Liberia.
President Obasanjo said he took the measures to stop instability from spreading across Nigeria, a nation with more than 250 ethnic groups that is frequently shaken by ethnic and religious strife.
Clement Nwankwo, a prominent human rights lawyer, said he fears the political situation unfolding in Ekiti may play out nationwide and disrupt next year’s elections. If successful, next April's vote will be the first time power changes hands democratically in Nigeria.
“What has happened in Ekiti is a sign of what might happen nationally,” Nwankwo told IRIN. “I think there is serious cause to worry,” Nwankwo said. “Once the rule of law fails, then clearly you can't have democracy. And that seems to be where we are heading.”
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a financial crime-busting body set up by Obasanjo, 31 of Nigeria's 36 state governors are under investigation for graft.
The governors have countered that EFCC actions are politically motivated and aimed at strengthening Obasanjo's hand ahead of next year’s polls.
In Plateau State in central Nigeria, two people were shot dead by police on Friday when mobs marched on the legislative building to protest an impeachment notice served on governor Joshua Dariye.
In Anambra State in the southeast, the legislature there served an impeachment notice on governor Peter Obi, accusing him of ineptitude. Thousands of protesters there have besieged the legislature building.
The only other time Obasanjo has imposed a state of emergency during his seven-year rule was in May 2004 when communal tensions in central Plateau State boiled over into conflict that drove more than 250,000 people from their homes, and may have killed 1,000 people, according to human rights groups.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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