Politics
Tinubu under fire as opposition leaders, activists, lawyers slam Rivers emergency rule, Assembly demands probe
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing a storm of criticism from opposition leaders, activists, and constitutional lawyers over his handling of the Rivers State political crisis, even as the State House of Assembly has moved to probe expenditures made during the six-month emergency rule and pressed Governor Siminalayi Fubara to nominate commissioners.
The sharp reactions came in the aftermath of Wednesday’s decision by the President to lift emergency rule in Rivers and direct Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the House of Assembly to resume office on September 18, after being suspended since March.
Critics say the episode has set a dangerous precedent, raising fears of unchecked presidential power and undermining democratic institutions.
ADC: ‘Tinubu acted like a headmaster’
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) described Tinubu’s intervention as a “dangerous precedent” that weakened Nigeria’s federal structure.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the President’s actions amounted to “whimsical autocracy.”
“On Wednesday, 17 September, Nigerians witnessed a curious spectacle: President Tinubu directing the Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the State Assembly in Rivers State to ‘resume’ duties after serving his six-month suspension from office,” Abdullahi said.
He argued that the Constitution does not grant the President powers to suspend elected officials, stressing that the move was politically motivated rather than grounded in law.
“The President’s decision to arrogate to himself the power to suspend and recall elected officials in Rivers State is whimsically autocratic and should be condemned as a threat to our democracy. What happened in Rivers over the last six months was a brazen manipulation of constitutional provisions to serve narrow political interests,” the statement read.
The ADC further accused Tinubu of engineering the emergency rule to consolidate his hold on Rivers politics, noting that the people were unjustly deprived of their chosen leaders.
“For six long months, the will of Rivers people was set aside. Their elected leaders were suspended not by a court of law, but by a President who himself was elected. Now, with the wave of a hand, the same President has decided to ‘allow’ them back to work, as though they were his appointees. The President is not a headmaster, and governors are not his pupils,” Abdullahi declared.
Adegboruwa: ‘No cause for celebration’
Constitutional lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, echoed similar concerns, warning that the episode represented a constitutional travesty that must be tested in court.
“I do not see any cause for celebration in any way,” Adegboruwa said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. “If people exercise their mandate to elect others into office, as they did for Governor Fubara and the House of Assembly, it is a sacred mandate that should be preserved at all costs.”
He argued that Section 305 of the Constitution, which empowers the President to declare a state of emergency, was never intended to allow for the suspension of democratically elected officials.
“If there is a reason for a single individual, such as the President, to interfere with that mandate, the circumstances should be clearly spelt out. Whether the President could sack the governor or suspend all democratically elected officers of Rivers State—those are matters the court must determine one way or the other,” he said.
Atiku: ‘Illegal then, illegal now’
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar joined the chorus of condemnation, dismissing Tinubu’s reinstatement of Fubara as a continuation of illegality.
“Lifting the suspension of Governor Simi Fubara is nothing to cheer about. The suspension was unconstitutional when it was done six months ago, and it is still illegal today. President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and state lawmakers. The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration,” Atiku wrote on X.
Obi: ‘A misstep that scarred democracy’
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi described the suspension as “a misstep that should not have happened,” warning that it left scars on Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
“The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy. It was a constitutional breach that will hurt us for a long time,” Obi said.
He congratulated Rivers people for their resilience and urged political actors to embrace peace: “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. A true leader admits mistakes, learns from them, and corrects them.”
Briggs: ‘No favour done to Rivers people’
Renowned activist Ann-Kio Briggs dismissed claims that Tinubu had done Rivers a favour by lifting emergency rule, insisting that the President was part of the problem.
“Fubara has always had the organic support of the people of Rivers State. Today, no favour has been done to us. We suffered for six months for a problem we did not create. The crisis was between the former governor and the present governor. Yet Rivers people were made to pay the price,” she said in Port Harcourt.
Briggs argued that reconciliation efforts were superficial and warned that peace without justice could not endure.
“You can’t have peace without justice. The president has been part of our problem. Fubara lost six months of governance, and Rivers people were deprived of dividends of democracy. That cannot be seen as a favour,” she added.
Assembly resumes, demands probe
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly reconvened on Thursday for the first time since March, immediately moving to scrutinise financial decisions taken during the emergency rule.
The motion, sponsored by House Leader Hon. Major Jack, Deputy Leader Hon. Linda Somiari-Stewart, and seven others, was unanimously adopted by the 26 members present.
Jack stressed that several contracts were awarded and funds expended by the outgone Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), without legislative oversight.
He urged Governor Fubara to submit commissioner nominees for the constitution of a State Executive Council and to forward a supplementary appropriation bill for the remainder of the year.
“The emergency rule officially lapsed at midnight on Thursday. Rivers people deserve clarity on how their resources were managed during this period,” Jack said.
Speaker Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule directed that a formal letter be sent to the governor requesting commissioner nominees and a fresh budget.
