Leading opposition figures, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party have strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and state lawmakers.
Atiku, in a social media post on Tuesday, denounced the President’s decision, accusing Tinubu of playing partisan politics instead of ensuring stability.
The former Vice president stated that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith.
“Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in this crisis, and his failure to prevent the escalation is disgraceful,” he said.
Atiku further criticized the President for the security breakdown that led to the destruction of federal infrastructure in the state, arguing that the crisis could have been avoided with better leadership.
“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith.
“Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers. His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.
“Beyond the political scheming in Rivers, the brazen security breaches that led to the condemnable destruction of national infrastructure in the state land squarely on the President’s desk.
“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.
“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability — undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.
“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility. Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and @officialABAT’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he said.
Obi, in a scathing social media post, on Wednesday, described Tinubu’s move as “reckless” and an outright assault on democracy.
The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 General Election, argued that removing an elected governor unilaterally is unconstitutional and warned that it sets a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.
“The unilateral decision of President Bola Tinubu to remove Governor Similaya Fubara of Rivers State from office is not only unconstitutional but also reckless.
“It has plunged us back into a state of lawlessness, hugely undoing the progress we have made in these 26 years of democratic journey.
“By disregarding the rule of law, the President has shown a dangerous willingness to trample on democracy.
“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is not just reckless—it is a clear attempt to return us to a state of nature and tighten its grip on power at all costs.
“It is a degrading back door imposition of martial rule on a strategic part of the federation with all the implied negatives.
“The political situation on the ground in Rivers does not justify such an extreme measure, and it is also a biased interpretation of section 305(1) of the 1999 constitution.
“A state of emergency does not mean an elected Governor can be removed unilaterally. This decision does not align with democratic norms or good governance. Instead, it appears to be a predetermined action serving specific interests rather than the collective good of the people of Rivers State and Nigeria.
“This action constitutes an unconstitutional overreach, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of powers. If left unchecked, it could foster a culture of impunity.
“Having already been grappling with non-adherence to electoral qualifications, rules, and massive rigging, adding arbitrary removal of elected officials will push us to a state of nature and anarchy,” Obi said.
He urged the National Assembly and other stakeholders to resist what he called a “degrading backdoor imposition of martial rule.”
Both leaders called on Nigerians and the international community to resist what they described as an undemocratic overreach by the federal government.
