Tinubu Suspends Fubara, Appoints Administrator For Rivers
...Tinubu has a vested Interest -Atiku
President Bola Tinubu has wielded the big stick in Rivers State, suspending governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odub and the state legislators for six months in measures to stem the crisis that has rendered the state insecure and ungovernable over a year.
Tinubu while declaring a state of emergency in the state, nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.
In a swift reaction, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Tinubu reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith.
However, the president said his decision was based on the political crisis that has engulfed the state which his efforts and other well-meaning Nigerians and organisations could not resolve.
“It became necessary to “invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March 2025 and I so do.”
He asserted, “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial six months.”
He however said the declaration did not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, “which shall continue to function by their constitutional mandate.”
He explained that the Administrator would not make any new laws.
“He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.”
Atiku accused the president of vested interest, stating anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that 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”, the former Vice President stated.
“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”, stating Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.
“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”.
“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 Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms”, concluded the former vice president.
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