A coalition of opposition political leaders led by former Vice President Atiku; former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; former secretary to the government of the federation, Babachair Lawal; and some leaders of the Labour Party (LP) have rejected the introduction of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The coalition said President Tinubu’s action was unconstitutional, submitting that the section of the Constitution that the president relied upon to declare a state of emergency in Rivers was wrongly applied. The group asked for the immediate reversal of the action. It called on the National Assembly to reject the declaration and the judiciary to swiftly intervene by striking down the move.

They urged the National Assembly to reject the emergency declaration and called on the judiciary to swiftly intervene by striking down the move. Citizens and civil society groups must also stand up and defend democracy, the group added.

The coalition urged Nigerians not to forget the historic unrest in the Niger Delta, which was only managed by the efforts and sacrifices of past administrations. The group also warned the federal government against manufacturing a political crisis in the Niger Delta, reminding Nigerians of the historic unrest in the region.

The group called on the Federal Government not to “manufacture” a political crisis that could threaten the fragile stability in the Niger Delta.

Following the declaration, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as the sole administrator of the state. He swore him in on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja.

Despite the criticism that greeted the move, the Attorney general Lateef Fagbemi SAN, has defended Tinubu’s action. According to the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, the emergency rule declaration was some sort of saving grace for Fubara who had been served impeachment notice by the lawmakers.

“If that impeachment had been allowed to take its full course, the governor would have entirely lost and completely.

“So, in a way, instead of allowing the impeachment to continue, and which in the end would have seen both the governor and the deputy governor out of office for the entirety of their four-year term with the remainder of what they have — a balance of two years and two months,” the AGF said.