By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly condemned the sudden withdrawal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the action as a disappointing act of political cowardice, surrender to intimidation, and subtle endorsement of the entrenched godfatherism allegedly being orchestrated in Rivers State by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

HURIWA said Governor Fubara’s explanation that he withdrew in the interest of “peace and unity” cannot erase the obvious political reality that Rivers State has gradually become a battleground where democratic freedoms are allegedly being suppressed and where elected officials are compelled to operate under fear, coercion, and political intimidation.

The Rights group stated that if Governor Fubara truly believed in the mandate freely given to him by Rivers people, he should have courageously subjected himself to the democratic process instead of withdrawing at the last minute and openly pledging support to a political arrangement many Rivers people already suspect has been predetermined by forces loyal to Wike.

According to HURIWA, the withdrawal confirms growing fears that both the APC and the PDP structures in Rivers State are under the overwhelming political influence of one individual and that whoever eventually emerges as candidate from either platform may simply end up functioning as a political mole or surrogate loyal to Wike rather than to Rivers people.

HURIWA said this dangerous situation now leaves all genuine opposition parties in Rivers State with only one patriotic option — immediate coalition and unity.

The Rights group therefore called on all opposition political parties, civil society organisations, youth groups, labour unions, women groups, student movements, professionals, and democratic stakeholders in Rivers State to urgently collapse their structures into one formidable coalition and jointly present a single consensus governorship candidate capable of confronting the Wike political machinery and rescuing Rivers State from political capture.

“HURIWA believes that the time for fragmented opposition politics in Rivers State is over. Any opposition party that insists on contesting separately under the current circumstances would merely be helping to divide the resistance votes and indirectly strengthening the continued domination of Rivers State by entrenched political interests,” the group stated.

The association warned that the battle ahead is no longer about party supremacy between APC and PDP but about the liberation of Rivers State from what it described as external political control and economic exploitation allegedly enabled by powerful forces around Wike and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

HURIWA further reminded Rivers people not to forget what it described as the unconstitutional removal of Governor Fubara and the controversial imposition of an illegal interim military administrator arrangement which allegedly operated for six months without accountability to the people.

The Rights group expressed outrage that till date, no transparent account has been rendered regarding the multi-billion naira allegedly expended during the period of that “illegal contraption.”
According to HURIWA, Rivers people deserve to know how public funds were spent, which contracts were awarded, who approved the expenditures, and why no independent audit or legislative scrutiny has been conducted on the billions allegedly deployed during that period.
“It is deeply disturbing that while Rivers people continue to struggle economically, nobody has been held accountable for the huge public funds allegedly spent during the six months of unconstitutional governance imposed on the state,” the statement added.
HURIWA further stated that Governor Fubara now appears politically weakened and reduced to what many observers consider a lame-duck governor unable to independently defend the democratic mandate freely entrusted to him by Rivers voters.
The Rights group warned that history would not be kind to political actors who remained silent while Rivers State was allegedly transformed into a political estate controlled through intimidation, federal might, and godfatherism.
HURIWA therefore issued a passionate appeal to all opposition leaders and democratic stakeholders in Rivers State to immediately commence negotiations towards the emergence of one consensus governorship candidate before it becomes too late.
The association fixed 12 noon today as the moral deadline for coalition talks to begin in the interest of rescuing Rivers State and restoring democratic accountability.

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is outraged by the disgraceful and insulting attempt by the Defence Headquarters to trivialise the horrifying spread of terrorism and mass kidnappings into Nigeria’s South-West even after armed terrorists invaded schools in Oyo State and abducted 32 innocent pupils and teachers like helpless prey.

At a time Nigerians are being slaughtered, kidnapped, displaced and traumatised daily, the nation’s security leadership appears more interested in protecting official narratives than protecting human lives.

In a statement signed by The claim by the Defence Headquarters that terrorists have no operational base in the South-West is not only shocking but dangerously deceptive. Nigerians do not need terrorists to erect signboards before recognising that armed criminal networks have already infiltrated forests, highways and rural communities across the region.

What exactly qualifies as an “operational base” when school children are abducted in coordinated attacks? What kind of intelligence system waits until terrorists strike before reacting with press statements?

This latest attempt to minimise the crisis exposes the frightening disconnect between the suffering of ordinary Nigerians and the comfort-zone mentality of those entrusted with national security.

HURIWA therefore calls for the immediate sack of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, the National Security Adviser, the military intelligence chiefs, all service chiefs and the Director-General of the DSS for what has become a catastrophic and unforgivable failure of national security management.

Nigeria today resembles a nation under siege.
From the North-East to the North-West, from the Middle Belt to parts of the South-West, terrorists, bandits and kidnappers now operate with terrifying boldness while citizens live in permanent fear. Communities are sacked repeatedly. Farmers abandon their lands. Highways have become death traps. Schools are no longer safe. Yet the same security chiefs remain comfortably in office as though failure has become official policy.

HURIWA is particularly alarmed that despite the unprecedented deterioration in security, President Bola Tinubu has continued to retain officials whose records have inspired little public confidence. Nigerians are beginning to perceive a dangerous pattern in which ethnic loyalty and political considerations override competence and accountability in strategic security appointments.
A nation at war with terrorism cannot afford nepotism in national security management.

The current security architecture has collapsed under the weight of poor intelligence coordination, weak operational response and shocking absence of accountability. Terrorists repeatedly outsmart security agencies, attack military formations, abduct citizens and vanish into forests while intelligence chiefs continue to hold office without consequences.

Even more disturbing are previous remarks credited to the CDS in which terrorists were allegedly described as “prodigal sons.” Such language sends a dangerous message of softness and moral confusion at a time Nigerians expect firmness, clarity and total commitment against terrorism.

HURIWA also condemns the growing politicisation of the DSS under its current leadership. Rather than focusing aggressively on dismantling terrorist cells and criminal syndicates, the agency is increasingly accused of targeting critics, activists and dissenting voices while insecurity spirals uncontrollably.

The DSS must never become an extension of partisan political machinery while Nigerians die daily from preventable security failures.

The association further notes that controversies surrounding the tenure and retirement status of former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, repeatedly raised by activist Omoyele Sowore, only deepened public distrust in the integrity and professionalism of the nation’s security leadership.

Nigeria cannot continue this way.
A government that cannot guarantee the safety of schoolchildren, farmers, travellers and rural communities loses moral authority to demand public confidence.
Enough of the propaganda. Enough of the media spin. Enough of the official denials.

Nigerians are dying. Nigerians are being kidnapped. Nigerians are living in terror.

If President Tinubu truly wants to save Nigeria from total security breakdown, he must immediately dissolve the current security leadership and rebuild a professional, intelligence-driven and non-partisan national security architecture rooted in competence rather than ethnic loyalty or political patronage.

Anything short of that would amount to complicity through inaction.

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemns in the strongest possible terms the shameless manipulation, reckless impunity, coordinated intimidation, and disgraceful outcome of the ongoing primary elections of the All Progressives Congress, which have now exposed before the world the frightening collapse of internal democracy within Nigeria’s ruling party.

In a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,What Nigerians have witnessed is not democracy. “It is political criminality dressed in electoral clothing.”

The chaotic scenes, allegations of fabricated results, suppression of delegates, intimidation of aspirants, violence, coercion, and open disorder surrounding the APC primaries have destroyed whatever remains of public confidence in the ruling party’s democratic credentials.

A political party that cannot organize a credible internal contest among its own members has absolutely no moral legitimacy to supervise, influence, or speak about credible national elections in 2027.
The APC primaries have exposed a dangerous political culture where power is no longer earned through persuasion, popularity, competence, or democratic legitimacy, but through intimidation, manipulation, imposition, and raw political force.

This is exactly why Nigerians are terrified about 2027.
If aspirants within the same political family are already screaming about manipulation and irregularities, what then awaits ordinary Nigerians during the presidential election? If delegates are allegedly being bullied, silenced, or overridden during party primaries, what confidence should citizens have that their votes will count in the general election?
HURIWA warns that the ongoing APC primaries may have unintentionally exposed what could become the operational template for the 2027 elections if Nigerians remain passive.
The signs are no longer hidden.
The desperation is no longer disguised.
The arrogance is now open.
Even more troubling is the deepening credibility crisis surrounding the Independent National Electoral Commission, especially following the unresolved public outrage generated by the controversial partisan activities and alleged political bias linked to INEC official Kunle Ajayi Amupitan during the 2023 presidential election.
Those revelations severely damaged public trust in the neutrality and independence of the electoral commission. Sadly, instead of rebuilding confidence through accountability and transparency, recent developments suggest that Nigeria may be drifting toward a far more dangerous electoral crisis in 2027.
HURIWA states clearly and unequivocally that a democracy cannot survive where electoral institutions lose credibility, political parties normalize impunity, and citizens are expected to accept manipulation as normal.
Nigeria is approaching a democratic crossroads.
The country cannot endure another election poisoned by allegations of rigging, institutional compromise, voter suppression, judicial manipulation, security intimidation, and abuse of state power.
The consequences could be catastrophic for national peace and stability.
We therefore call on Nigerians across all regions, religions, and political affiliations to immediately begin peaceful democratic resistance against every attempt to hijack the sovereignty of the people in 2027.
Citizens must obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), organize at community levels, monitor every stage of the electoral process, expose irregularities, resist intimidation, and lawfully defend the sanctity of their votes.
Defending your vote through lawful, peaceful, constitutional, and legitimate means is not an act of rebellion — it is a fundamental democratic right.
Nigerians must understand that democracy dies gradually when citizens become silent in the face of impunity.
It dies when political manipulation is normalized.
It dies when institutions become tools of partisan interests.
It dies when fear replaces civic vigilance.
The APC primaries have now become a national warning signal.
If this level of alleged manipulation and confusion can happen within the ruling party itself, then every Nigerian must understand the magnitude of the threat facing the 2027 general elections.
The time to defend democracy is now — before the machinery of manipulation becomes impossible to stop.