By Ayomide Otitoju
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly rejected the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State, asserting that President Bola Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to suspend the democratically elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
In a statement on Tuesday, PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba described the proclamation as unconstitutional and a violation of the 1999 Constitution.
“The unconstitutional declaration by President Tinubu of the suspension of the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and appointment of an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd), to govern the State is a clear attack on our nation’s democracy. It is an abrogation of the votes and democratic rights of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution,” Ologunagba stated.
He further alleged that the action was part of a larger plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to seize control of Rivers State through manufactured crises.
“The action of Mr. President clearly borders on an attempt at state capture. It is the climax of a well-oiled plot to forcefully take over Rivers State, for which the APC has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is ultimately truncated in the state,” he added.
The PDP further warned that the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State was part of a broader strategy to weaken opposition parties and create a one-party system in Nigeria.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the party maintained that the President cannot unilaterally impose emergency rule without the statutory approval of the National Assembly.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 305 (2) provides that ‘The President shall immediately after the publication, transmit copies of the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation containing the proclamation, including the details of the emergency, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each of whom shall forthwith convene or arrange for a meeting of the House of which he is President or Speaker, as the case may be, to consider the situation and decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the proclamation,’” the statement read.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also condemned the declaration, describing it as an assault on democracy.
In a statement on his verified Facebook page, Atiku said the move was politically motivated and executed in bad faith.
“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,” Atiku stated.
The former vice president accused President Tinubu of failing in his responsibility to prevent security breaches that led to the destruction of national infrastructure in Rivers State, arguing that the imposition of emergency rule unfairly punishes the people of the state.
“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,” he said.
Atiku insisted that any compromise of federal infrastructure in Rivers should be addressed by holding the President accountable, rather than imposing emergency rule as a punitive measure.
“Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he concluded.
The controversy surrounding the state of emergency declaration continues to generate widespread reactions, with political analysts warning that such a move could set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.
