The former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the opposition Party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have rejected the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State.
Atiku, reacting to the declaration on X said it’s a political manipulation and outright bad faith, adding that anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that President Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in turmoil engulfing the State.
In a national broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Tinubu stated that the crisis in Rivers State had paralyzed governance, making it impossible for democratic institutions to function effectively.
The President declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
He cited a prolonged political crisis, constitutional breaches, and escalating security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.
According to him, “With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state”.
The President pointed to the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly in December 2023 and the governor’s refusal to rebuild it as a critical factor in the breakdown of governance.
He also referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling that described the situation in Rivers as unconstitutional, stating that “a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution.”
To restore order, the President appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the Administrator of the State, with mandate to oversee governance without enacting new laws, stating clearly that the judicial arm of the State does not affected and shall continue to function in accordance with its mandate.
Atiku further said that the President’s 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 compromised, the President bears full responsibility.
“Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the Governor and Tinubu’s enablers in federal govt is nothing less than assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms”, he said.The PDP, in a statement outrightly rejected declaration, stating that this attempt by the President to override the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“And undermine the votes and Will of the people of Rivers State by seeking to depose a democratic government and foist an undemocratic rule in the State”.
The Party also described it as unconstitutional for the President to suspend the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara
And appointed an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) to govern the State, adding that it’s a clear attack on the nation’s democracy, an abrogation of the votes and democratic right of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution.“The action of Mr. President therefore clearly borders on attempt at state capture. It is the climax of a well-oiled plot to forcefully take over Rivers State for which the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is ultimately truncated in the State.
“Nigerians are invited to note that the situation in Rivers State and the reasons adduced by the President cannot justify the declaration of a state of emergency in the State under the 1999 Constitution, rendering the declaration completely incompetent”.
The PDP alerted that the unwarranted imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State is part of the larger vicious plot to foist a siege mentality across Nigeria, decimate opposition, impose totalitarian one-Party State and turn the country into a fiefdom.
“In any case, nothing in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution relied upon by the President in the declaration grants him the exclusive powers to declare or execute the declaration of a state of emergency without recourse to the statutory approval of the National Assembly.“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 305 (2) provides that “The President shall immediately after publication, transmit copies of the Official Gazette of the Govt containing proclamation including 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 Party added that Mr. President should recognize that his order to an unelected individual to forthwith take over government of Rivers State is illegal and a clear recipe for crisis, threat to the peace and stability of not only Rivers State but the entire nation.
“For emphasis, Governor Fubara was democratically elected for a tenure of four years which tenure cannot be unconstitutionally abridged”.
The PDP therefore cautioned Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) to respect the Constitution and ensure that he does not take any action or step which is capable of derailing smooth democratic Governance in Rivers State.
