The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on Wednesday, March 19, condemned the State of Emergency declared on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
The party also described the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and elected lawmakers of the State House of Assembly as “an absurd political decision and a very dangerous precedent”.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, the opposition party said the president’s action over the political crisis in the state is unconstitutional.
According to Ladipo, the president needs to immediately rescind on his decision as he was wrongly advised concerning the issues in Rivers State.
He also described the action of President Tinubu as a presidential coup against an elected government of the Rivers State.
Alleging that if not for the president’s and the Federal Government’s interest in the state, a better solution to the political crisis in the state should have been adopted.
Johnson said, “It is clearly a dangerous precedent, which can only be interpreted as an absurd political manipulation by the federal government.
“Why the rush to proclaim a state of emergency without fulfilling the conditions required by law? Doesn’t the president’s action undermine the rule of law he emphasized in his speech?
“Hasn’t he, by this rash action, shown that he does not fully understand the long-term implications or possess the requisite skills needed to govern a complex country like Nigeria? Or is this about his party’s much-touted political interests in Rivers State ahead of 2027?” Johnson queried.
Stating that the action was part of the warning the NNPP had given to Nigerians against voting the All Progressives Congress and Tinubu into power, Johnson said there is need for the president to reverse his decision.
He also said that the same kind of scenario almost played out in Kano State following the Emirate crisis that rocked the state.
“This kind of action is what the NNPP had warned Nigerians and the people of Kano against when it observed similar maneuvers orchestrated by certain forces during the Emirate crisis.
“But for the maturity of the governor and the good people of Kano State, who avoided being tricked into taking their resistance onto the streets, the same scenario might have played out, leading to an unjustifiable declaration of a state of emergency in Kano State,” Johnson noted.
