March 24, (THEWILL) – Since President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, suspending the Executive Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, as well as members of the State House of Assembly, he has faced an endless stream of reactions from concerned Nigerians across the country, including former President Goodluck Jonathan and Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, who have all described his actions as unconstitutional and dictatorial.
The list of groups and individuals who oppose President Tinubu’s proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers and the appointment of a former naval top brass, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (Retd), as Sole Administrator of the state appears to be increasing with each passing day.
More groups are poised to challenge the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State. For example, the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum is heading to court to contest Tinubu’s decisions. Another group, the Niger Delta Youth Council has pledged to support the Forum in its resolve to challenge the declaration of a state of emergency in court. In fact, last Friday, the President of the group, Bene Mamamu, allegedly said that President Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers was an “expression of his bias and hatred for the Niger Delta region.”
Current developments indicate that members of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States.
The IYC, THEWILL learnt, is seeking an order from the court to set aside the suspension of elected officials and the dissolution of democratic structures in Rivers.
The Nigeria Bar Association, one of the first institutions to condemn the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State, has rejected last Thursday’s endorsement of the state of emergency by the National Assembly.
President of the association and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adam Osigwe, said it was wrong and unconstitutional for Nigeria’s lawmakers to decide the fate of Rivers State and its people by voice vote.
Also, a former Senate President and Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara, did not hide his displeasure with President Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.
In a statement, Wabara said Tinubu’s actions violated the fundamental principles of the Nigerian Constitution. He called for a reversal.
Indeed, underlying the various reactions against the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State is a desire for prompt reversal of the President’s decisions.
What Nigerians opposed to the current situation in Rivers are saying is that although the President can declare a state of emergency in any state of the federation, he lacks the constitutional backing to suspend the governor, his deputy and other elected officials.
In a bid to find a quick solution to the crisis in Rivers, President Tinubu may have, as expressed by a sitting South-West Governor, trampled on Nigeria’s hard-won democracy.
We do sincerely hope that the seeds, which his decisions on Rivers have sown, will not germinate into open violence and chaos, among others.
