A group of prominent Nigerian political leaders has strongly opposed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it unconstitutional.
At a press conference led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the stakeholders—including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi—demanded an immediate reversal of the decision.
According to Naija News, they urged the National Assembly to reject the declaration, called on the judiciary to prevent what they described as a dangerous precedent, and encouraged Nigerians to defend democracy.
Their key demands are as follows:
- Immediate Reversal: They called on President Tinubu to revoke the emergency declaration and reinstate the elected Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
- National Assembly’s Rejection: They urged Senators and Representatives to vote against what they described as an unconstitutional act, warning lawmakers not to allow themselves to be used to legitimize a power grab.
- Judicial Intervention: They called on the judiciary to strike down the declaration, emphasizing that allowing such an action could set a precedent for the arbitrary removal of elected governors in the future.
- Public Defense of Democracy: They encouraged civil society organizations, political groups, and Nigerians to stand firm in protecting democracy. They argued that even in past emergency declarations due to insurgency and terrorism, governors were not removed from office, making Tinubu’s decision unprecedented. “Rivers State is not a conquered territory, and Nigeria is not a dictatorship requiring the replacement of an elected governor with a military administrator,” they asserted.
The stakeholders described Tinubu’s move as a “new low for the country” and vowed to continue pushing against what they see as an attack on democratic governance.
