The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as a calculated attempt to seize control of the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP asserted that Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to remove a democratically elected governor and replace him with an unelected individual.
The opposition party maintained that the president’s decision, announced during a nationwide address, violates the 1999 Constitution and is an overt attempt to take Rivers State by force for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and indeed, Nigerians listened with dismay to the national broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in which he, in utter violation of the 1999 Constitution, pronounced an imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State,” the statement read.
“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 impose an undemocratic rule in the state.”
The party further condemned the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as the interim administrator, labeling it an assault on democracy.
“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 rights of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution,” the PDP stated.
The opposition party alleged that the move was the culmination of a long-standing strategy to destabilize Rivers State in order to install an APC-controlled administration.
“The action of Mr. President clearly borders on an attempt at state capture. It is the climax of a well-orchestrated 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.”
Furthermore, the PDP argued that Tinubu’s declaration did not adhere to constitutional procedures and was part of a broader scheme to establish a one-party system in Nigeria.
The party reaffirmed its rejection of the emergency rule and called on Nigerians to resist any attempt to undermine democracy through unconstitutional actions.
