Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State. Obi expressed concerns over the president’s suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the entire House of Assembly for six months, following political unrest in the region. The president appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as the interim administrator for the state.
Obi argued that the declaration undermines democratic norms and contravenes the 1999 constitution, which does not allow for the unilateral removal of an elected governor. He characterized the move as an overreach of authority that sets a dangerous precedent for democracy both in Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole.
This decision has prompted varied responses, with opposition from figures such as Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who deemed it a political manipulation. The PDP and its Governors Forum have expressed rejection of the emergency rule, viewing it as an attack on democracy. Conversely, the Rivers State House of Assembly has supported the president’s action, attributing the crisis to the former governor’s alleged autocratic governance. The contentious political atmosphere in the state continues to unfold as stakeholders and lawmakers express divergent views on the emergency imposition.
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