The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly opposed the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State, asserting that President Bola Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to suspend the state’s democratically elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba argued that Tinubu’s declaration violates the 1999 Constitution.
Ologunagba stated, “The unconstitutional declaration by President Tinubu, suspending the democratically elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara and appointing an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd), to govern the state, is a direct attack on our democracy and an infringement on the constitutional right of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader.”
He continued, “This action by the President clearly signals an attempt at state capture, as it represents the culmination of a deliberate effort by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to create a crisis and ultimately undermine democracy in the state.”
The PDP also warned that the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State is part of a broader, sinister agenda to create a siege mentality across Nigeria, eliminate opposition, impose a totalitarian one-party system, and transform the country into a controlled fiefdom.
Ologunagba further clarified that nothing in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution grants the President the sole authority to declare or enforce a state of emergency without the approval of the National Assembly. He quoted Section 305 (2), which mandates that “The President shall immediately after the publication, transmit copies of the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation containing the proclamation, including the details of the emergency, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each of whom shall forthwith convene or arrange for a meeting to consider the situation and decide whether or not to approve the proclamation.”
