Indications emerged on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari may impose a state of emergency or total lockdown in Kogi, Rivers and Cross River states over the refusal of their governors to co-operate with Abuja in the fight against Coronavirus.
Metrostarng gathered that the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 had made representations to Buhari on the refusal of the governors of these states to co-operate with the Federal Government.
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is top on the list of uncooperative governors over his humiliation of a team from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control which met with him on Friday in the state capital, Lokoja.
Bello had threatened to quarantine the team for 14 days after accusing its members of trying to force Kogi State Government to declare COVID-19 figures for the state.
When the team refused to be quarantined, he ordered security agents to escort them out of the state capital to the highway to Abuja.
Bello’s recalcitrant posture has already attracted palpable anger in the presidency which is poised to either declare a state of emergency in Kogi State or impose a total lockdown of the state in line with the Quarantine Act and allow NCDC unfettered access to the people of the state.
In the case of Rivers State, the Federal Government had become increasingly uncomfortable with Governor Nyesom Wike’s belligerent posture over the fight against COVID-19.
On Sunday, the governor personally supervised the demolition of hotels and bars which allegedly defied the state government’s shutdown of relaxation spots in the state.
He also ensured the incarceration of two pilots of Caverton Helicopters in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for flying into the state during a lockdown imposed by his administration.
Wike engaged in a verbal exchange with the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over the issue.
Two weeks ago, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, replaced the commissioner of police in the state for arresting the pilots on the orders of the governor.
The Federal Government is increasingly becoming suspicious of Wike’s real motives in the war on Coronavirus.
In the case of Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade has infuriated Abuja over his refusal to co-operate with NCDC and comments by one of his aides, in which she raised serious allegations against the frontline health agency.
Attempts to obtain a confirmation from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, were unsuccessful on Sunday as he did not respond to an SMS from Metrostarng.