Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it an attack on democracy that should be strongly condemned.
In a statement on his verified Facebook page, Atiku described the move as a politically motivated manipulation executed in bad faith.
He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu must be held accountable for the chaos in Rivers State, arguing that the president either enabled or failed to prevent the situation.
Atiku further stated that if federal infrastructure in the state has been compromised, the president should take full responsibility. Instead of imposing a state of emergency on the people of Rivers, Atiku believes the focus should be on addressing the issues at hand.
He said, “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and bad faith.
“Anyone observing the ongoing crisis can see that Bola Tinubu has been a partisan actor in the political unrest in Rivers. His blatant refusal—or calculated negligence—in preventing this escalation is utterly disgraceful.
“Beyond the political maneuvers in Rivers, the serious security breaches that led to the destruction of national infrastructure in the state lie squarely on the President’s shoulders.
“Tinubu cannot avoid responsibility for the turmoil his administration has either caused or failed to stop.
“It is an unforgivable failure that, under Tinubu’s leadership, the Niger Delta has descended into a state of violence and instability, undoing the peace achieved by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Years of progress have been recklessly undone for selfish political gain.
“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the president must bear full responsibility. Punishing the people of Rivers State for the political conflicts between the governor and Tinubu’s supporters in the federal government is an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
