The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State has sparked strong opposition from some elders, who argue that the decision was rushed and will not restore normalcy.

In a national broadcast, President Bola Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and state lawmakers, citing their failure to resolve political differences. He also linked the move to the destruction of pipelines by suspected militants.

High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, a chieftain of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF criticized the decision, stating that all mediation avenues should have been exhausted before taking such drastic action.

“President Tinubu’s invocation of Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution at this time is inappropriate,” he said. “If the goal is peace, why is FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, a key figure in the crisis, not suspended?”

Sara-Igbe described the suspension of elected officials as unconstitutional, noting that similar actions were not taken in Sokoto, Borno, and other northern states despite prolonged conflicts. He accused the President of bias, stating that his actions favored a particular faction in the crisis.

Environmental and human rights activist Ann-Kio Briggs also condemned the emergency rule, questioning Tinubu’s justification that Fubara failed to brief him or denounce the pipeline explosions.

“Fubara has consistently informed the president of developments in Rivers,” she said. “PANDEF met with the president on March 11, seeking his intervention and offering mediation between Fubara and Wike.”

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Briggs argued that pipeline vandalism has persisted in the Niger Delta for decades without triggering emergency rule, making the President’s reasoning unconvincing. She insisted that while the President has the authority to declare an emergency, suspending an elected governor is beyond his constitutional powers.

“This is a targeted plot against Governor Fubara,” she said. “It is hasty, premeditated, and a grave threat to Rivers people.”

Briggs also recalled Wike’s past televised remarks about his influence over pipeline activities and questioned why he was not suspended.

Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress  candidate in the 2023 Rivers governorship election, held all political actors responsible for the state’s crisis.

Describing the emergency rule as a dark chapter in Rivers politics, he stated that the President’s intervention came only after leaders failed to resolve their differences.

“The President had no choice but to step in,” he said. “Attempts were made to resolve the crisis, but they were not pursued forcefully enough to ensure peace.”

NAN