Rivers: PDP, Atiku, CUPP Reject Emergency Rule

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP) have rejected the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday night by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, said the President’s action was in violation of the Nigerian constitution.

Party said, “The PDP outrightly rejects this attempt by the President to override the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and undermine the votes and Will of the people of Rivers State by seeking to depose a democratic government and foist an undemocratic rule in the State.

“The unconstitutional declaration by President Tinubu of the suspension of the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and appointment of an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) to govern the State is a clear attack on our nation’s democracy, an abrogation of the votes and democratic right of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution.

“The action of Mr. President therefore clearly borders on attempt at state capture. It is the climax of a well-oiled plot to forcefully take over Rivers State for which the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is ultimately truncated in the State.

“Nigerians are invited to note that the situation in Rivers State and the reasons adduced by the President cannot justify the declaration of a state of emergency in the State under the 1999 Constitution, rendering the declaration completely incompetent.”

The PDP said the action was unwarranted, describing it as part of the larger vicious plot to foist a siege mentality across Nigeria, decimate opposition, impose a totalitarian one-party state and turn the country into a fiefdom.

” In any case, nothing in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution relied upon by the President in the declaration grants him the exclusive powers to declare or execute the declaration of a state of emergency without recourse to the statutory approval of the National Assembly.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 305 (2) provides 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 of the House of which he is President or Speaker, as the case may be, to consider the situation and decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the proclamation.

“Mr. President should recognise that his order to an unelected individual to forthwith take over government of Rivers State is illegal and a clear recipe for crisis, threat to the peace and stability of not only Rivers State but the entire nation.

“For emphasis, Governor Fubara was democratically elected for a tenure of four years which tenure cannot be unconstitutionally abridged,” the party added.

The PDP cautioned retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas to respect the Constitution and ensure that he does not take any action or step capable of derailing smooth democratic governance in Rivers State.

The main opposition party reminded the president that Nigeria is not under a military rule where the governance of a state is by appointment by a junta.

On his part, Atiku said the action reeked of political manipulation and outright bad faith. 

“Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola 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.

“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. 

” 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, Atiku submitted.

Similarly, the CUPP described the emergency rule as a coup against the people of Rivers State, “instigated by the unchecked desperation of one of the president’s ministers.

The Coalition cited a Supreme Court ruling that held that democratic structures can not be dissolved under emergency rule as it amounts to overthrow of another arm of government.

It accused Tinubu of usurping the powers of the National Assembly in taking over powers of state assemblies in moments of crisis and that giving it to the Federal Executive Council is a huge assault on constitutional democracy.

The CUPP, in a reaction, vowed to seek legal action to quash “this latest assault on Nigeria constitutional democracy that has great implications for the survival of democratic governance in Nigeria.”

Its reaction was contained in a statement jointly signed by CUPP leaders – Chief Peter Ameh, Ikenga Imo ugochinyere and Comrade Mark Adebayo.

The statement reads, “The suspension of a sitting Governor under the guise of a state of emergency is an illegal and unconstitutional act, amounting to a coup against democracy. This move serves the dark ambitions of desperate political actors and undermines the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.

“Since the Supreme Court ruling, Governor Fubara has tried to act right but these guys the local political blackmailers and propagandist, keep suffering Rivers state.

“The governor complied and presented the budget and they ran away from receiving him meaning their interest is not the budget but to ensure the people of Rivers, their own people, suffer and die from hunger.”