President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State as a result of an enduring political crisis that has paralyzed governance and jeopardized security in the oil-producing state.
During a national broadcast on Tuesday, Tinubu said all avenues of peace had been used to end the crisis, blaming Governor Siminalayi Fubara for using democratic institutions to undermine them one by one, including the dismantling of the state legislature through the destruction of the House of Assembly complex.
The President referenced a Supreme Court ruling that attributed the actions of Fubara as anti-democratic and unconstitutional. He further mentioned the rise in threats to security, e.g., recent militant attacks on pipelines, which he asserted the governor was not acknowledging.
In an attempt to restore stability, Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all the Rivers State House of Assembly elected representatives for six months at first. He made the state’s interim administrator retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, ascertaining that the judiciary would continue to be independent.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu defended his action as necessary to safeguard democratic government and lives and property in Rivers State.
Reactions to Tinubu’s Emergency Declaration
The decision has attracted widespread reactions, with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strongly condemning the move, calling it unconstitutional and an attempt to overthrow democracy. The party argued that Tinubu could not suspend a democratically elected governor and attributed the move to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as they planned the crisis to take over power in the state.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the release as a “political manipulation” which has again opened up tensions in the Niger Delta. He blamed Tinubu for erasing peace achieved by the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua and blamed the federal government for failure to avert the escalation.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights attorney Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa also condemned the move, urging Tinubu to rescind his decision and allow democratic institutions to resolve the crisis. He added that political crises in other states had not led to emergency rule.
But the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) welcomed Tinubu’s action, stating that the deteriorating crisis necessitated the emergency rule and hoping it would bring lasting peace to Rivers State.
As soldiers’ patrols increased around Port Harcourt’s Government House, a nervous calm settled over the state capital, with civil servants scurrying out of government buildings in an air of uncertainty about what the future holds.
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