Politics
AGF Fagbemi justifies emergency rule, blames Fubara, as Tinubu hosts new Rivers administrator
Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has justified the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, while alleging that the now-suspended governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines in the state.
This is even as President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday afternoon met with the sole administrator he appointed to run the affairs of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas.
Ibas arrived at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa at about 12:48 pm.
Meanwhile, Fagbemi who spoke during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said although the governor was not directly culpable, he failed to dissuade the militants from vandalising the pipeline.
“We are in a democracy. There were what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I say so is, when he began, he said oh, he will let them know when it was time to act,” he said.
“Let us say it was false. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week later, they swung into action. You saw or witnessed the vandalisation of oil pipelines.”
Fagbemi noted that with the nation almost reliant on crude oil, anyone “touching” the pipeline is not only an enemy of Rivers but Nigeria.
According to the Minister, Fubara and the members of the state House of Assembly had to be suspended as they failed to ensure a conducive atmosphere for governance in the state.
Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
In his national broadcast, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.
The crisis, which has paralysed governance in the oil-rich state, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of the directive, the President also appointed Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
