BREAKING: Atiku, El-Rufai, opposition leaders reject Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara

A coalition of opposition political leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

During a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, March 20, the coalition, including leaders from the Labour Party (LP), described the president’s action as unconstitutional and demanded its immediate reversal.

President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, March 18, amid an escalating political crisis.

He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly for six months.

Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) was subsequently appointed as the sole administrator of the state and was sworn in on Wednesday, March 19, at the State House, Abuja.

The opposition leaders, however, argued that the constitutional provision Tinubu relied upon for his decision was misapplied.

They urged the National Assembly to reject the emergency declaration and called on the judiciary to swiftly intervene by striking down the move.

The coalition said, “Nigerians must stand up and defend democracy,” urging civil society organisations and the public to resist any attempt to undermine the country’s democratic process.

The group also warned the Federal Government against manufacturing a political crisis in the Niger Delta, reminding Nigerians of the historic unrest in the region.

“The fragile stability of the Niger Delta should not be jeopardized by political manoeuvring,” they cautioned.

Despite widespread criticism, the Federal Government has defended the president’s decision.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, argued that the emergency rule was, in fact, a protective measure for Governor Fubara.

“If that impeachment had been allowed to take its full course, the governor would have entirely lost and completely,” Fagbemi stated.

“So, in a way, instead of allowing the impeachment to continue, and which in the end would have seen both the governor and the deputy governor out of office for the entirety of their four-year term, this was a saving grace.”

As tensions rise over the decision, political analysts warn that the move could set a dangerous precedent for handling state-level crises in Nigeria.