A coalition of opposition political leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The coalition, which also includes leaders of the Labour Party, called for the immediate reversal of the action and urged the National Assembly to reject the declaration.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, citing a political crisis in the oil-rich state.
He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.
However, the coalition argued that the president’s action is unconstitutional, stating that the section of the Constitution relied upon to declare a state of emergency was wrongly applied.
They also called on the judiciary to intervene and strike down the move.
The Federal Government has defended the president’s action, with Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi stating that the emergency rule declaration was a saving grace for Governor Fubara, who had been served an impeachment notice by lawmakers.
