Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has urged the House of Representatives’ Adhoc Oversight Committee to take swift and impartial action toward resolving the political impasse in Rivers State.
In an open letter dated April 16 and signed by PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows B. Igali, the group emphasized the urgency of reinstating the state’s democratic structures, warning that Rivers, as Nigeria’s oil and gas hub, is too strategic to be left in constitutional limbo.
PANDEF praised the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, for inaugurating the oversight committee, describing it as an act of visionary leadership.
The forum also expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to reverse the “unlawful measures” taken by the appointed Administrator, including the dissolution of democratic institutions.
It emphasized that true oversight must be coupled with political reconciliation efforts to return legitimacy to the state’s leadership.
The letter underscored the constitutional and economic stakes of the situation, calling the Administrator’s actions a “serious dent on Nigeria’s democratic image.”
PANDEF maintained that despite ongoing political disagreements, peace and economic stability have endured in the state.
“This task should be pursued with urgency, diligence, and an unwavering sense of neutrality,” the letter advised, reaffirming the group’s support for a peaceful resolution rooted in constitutional order.
