President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State led to the suspension of the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and the elected members of the State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, but this has generated diverse reactions and condemnations from across the country.

President Tinubu, who also nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state, has come under intense criticism by the opposition parties, who described his actions as dangerous to democracy. The President’s action has come under scrutiny, with motives being read into his action described as premeditated.

The President’s action came as a shock to many Nigerians and political stakeholders, given that the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, had already made a public avowal and had taken steps to obey the order of the Supreme Court on the matter even as the state lawmakers intensified their plan to impeach him.

Former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, stating that the president’s action had an undertone of political manipulation.

Atiku, who reacted almost immediately after the declaration, accused President Tinubu of deliberate negligence on the matter to disrupt the existing peace in the oil-producing region of the country, which a former president of the country, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, fought hard to achieve.

“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.

The former Vice President also called for a demand of responsibility for the aftermath events in the state, stating that the action was an assault on democracy. “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 enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he said.

It’s an Open Coup on Democracy– CUPP
Weighing in on the matter, the Coalition of United Political Parties has described the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers as an unconstitutional action by President Bola Tinubu, stating that it is an open coup on democracy.

A statement jointly signed by High Chief Peter Ameh, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Comrade Mark Adebayo described the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy as unacceptable and a tactic to satisfy the desires of ambitious politicians who are hell-bent on disrupting the peace in the state for their gains.

The coalition argued that the suspended governor had made moves to create room for peace in the state by approaching the lawmakers in the state for restoration of order in the state, but the lawmakers avoided him. The coalition insisted that the declaration of a state of emergency in the state will further undermine peace in the state.

“The suspension of a sitting Governor under the guise of a state of emergency is an illegal and unconstitutional act, amounting to a coup against democracy. This move serves the dark ambitions of desperate political actors and undermines the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.

“Since the Supreme Court ruling, Governor Fubara has tried to act right, but these guys, the local political blackmailers and propagandists, keep suffering in Rivers State. The governor compiled and presented the budget, and they ran away from receiving it, meaning their interest is not the budget but to ensure the people of Rivers, their people, suffer and die from hunger.

“The Governor wrote another letter to them, and they claimed to have gone on recess on Friday evening, and now suddenly the people who went on recess on Friday wake up on Monday to claim they have commenced a purported impeachment, just to distract from the slated budget presentation billed for this week. With this declaration, the federal government and its political allies have systematically undermined the peace in Rivers State.

PDP Cautions Against Derailment of Smooth Democracy
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced its rejection of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, stating that it a violation of the 1999 constitution which can cause derailments of a smooth-running democracy in the state.

A statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, indicated that President Tinubu is seeking to depose a democratic government and foist an undemocratic rule in the state. The party further noted that the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) to govern the state is a clear attack on the country’s democracy.

Additionally, the political party criticised the president for using Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to make the declaration, arguing that it does not give him the sole authority to declare or carry out a state of emergency without the National Assembly’s statutory consent.

“The action of Mr. President therefore 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 All-Progressives Congress (APC) has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is truncated in the state.

“The PDP alerts 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 the opposition, impose a 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 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.”

“Mr President should recognise that his order to an unelected individual to forthwith take over the government of Rivers State is illegal and a clear recipe for crisis, a 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 cautions 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. Nigeria is not under a military rule where the governance of a state is by appointment by a junta”, the statement reads:

Declaration of State of Emergency Doesn’t Mean Suspension of Elected Officials- NBA

The Nigerian Bar Association has lent its voice to the raging issue and has condemned the removal of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other democratically elected officials in the state, describing the action as an as infringement on democratic governance and fundamental human rights.

A statement signed by NBA president, Mazi Afam Osigwe, said even though Section 305 of the Constitution vests the President with the power to declare a state of emergency, the section stipulates it does not include the removal or the suspension of any elected individuals, as the president lacks the power to implement such action according to the Nigerian constitution.

The statement partly reads: “A declaration of emergency does not automatically dissolve or suspend elected state governments. The Constitution does not empower the President to unilaterally remove or replace elected officials—such actions amount to an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s federal structure.

“The NBA firmly asserts that the situation in Rivers State, though politically tense, does not meet the constitutional threshold for the removal of elected officials. For a state of emergency to be declared, Section 305(3) of the Constitution outlines specific conditions, including:

As a result, the NBA called “the National Assembly to reject any unconstitutional attempt to ratify the removal of the Rivers State Governor and other elected officials. The approval of a state of emergency must be based on strict constitutional grounds, not political expediency.

“The NBA remains committed to upholding the Constitution, defending democratic governance, and ensuring that the rule of law prevails in Nigeria. A state of emergency is an extraordinary measure that must be invoked strictly within constitutional limits. The removal of elected officials under the pretext of emergency rule is unconstitutional and unacceptable.

We are seriously alarmed– PANDEF.
Also, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, the highest socio-political body of the South-South geopolitical zone has expressed its surprise on the declaration of a state of emergency and the suspension of all elected officials in the state.

The body, through its National Spokesperson, Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini, said it is still studying the situation and will come up with its full position. ‘’PANDEF is seriously alarmed by the state of emergency declared in Rivers State due to a crisis that is ordinarily avoidable. We are, therefore, studying the situation and we shall soon come up with Pandef’s position.”