State of Emergency: It’s The Climax of a Well-oiled Plot To Forcefully Take Over Rivers – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denounced the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, asserting that President Bola Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to suspend the democratically elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

In a statement released on Tuesday, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba emphasized that Tinubu’s announcement contravenes the 1999 Constitution.

Ologunagba stated, “President Tinubu’s unconstitutional declaration regarding the suspension of the duly elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and the appointment of an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd), to oversee the State represents a direct assault on our nation’s democracy. It undermines the electoral rights of the people of Rivers State to select their leader as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“The President’s actions suggest an attempt at state capture.

“This represents the culmination of a calculated scheme to forcibly seize control of Rivers State, a goal that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pursued by inciting crises to ultimately undermine democracy in the region.”

“The PDP warns that the unjustified imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State is part of a broader, malicious strategy aimed at instilling a siege mentality throughout Nigeria, dismantling opposition, establishing a totalitarian one-party state, and transforming the country into a personal domain.

“Furthermore, nothing in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, which the President cites for this declaration, grants him the sole authority to declare or implement a state of emergency without the necessary approval from the National Assembly.

“To clarify, Section 305 (2) stipulates 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.'”