Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu following the federal government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Atiku described the move as politically motivated and a direct assault on democracy.
Reacting to the development on X (formerly Twitter), the PDP chieftain accused Tinubu of deliberately allowing the crisis in Rivers to escalate for political advantage.
“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith,” Atiku stated.
Rivers State has been embroiled in a deep political crisis, with tensions between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, leading to violent clashes, destruction of public property, and heightened security concerns. The federal government cited security threats and attacks on national infrastructure as justification for the emergency declaration.
However, Atiku dismissed these reasons, arguing that Tinubu played an active role in fueling the crisis and failed to take preventive measures before resorting to extreme action.
“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,” he said.
The former vice president also pointed to recent security breaches in Rivers State, insisting that ultimate responsibility lies with the Tinubu administration.
“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,” he stated.
“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.”
Atiku further accused the Tinubu government of reversing the hard-earned peace in the Niger Delta, warning that the region is sliding back into violent unrest.
“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.”
He slammed the decision to impose emergency rule, describing it as an unjustifiable attack on the people of Rivers State.
“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 @officialABAT’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
The state of emergency in Rivers has sparked widespread political reactions, with critics warning that it sets a dangerous precedent. It remains to be seen how the federal government will implement the measure and what it means for the future of governance in the state.
