Atiku condemns state of emergency in Rivers, accuses Tinubu of political manipulation

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as politically motivated and an assault on democracy.

His remarks trails the President’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly following the prolonged political crisis in Rivers.

In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku accused Tinubu of being a “vested partisan actor” in the crisis that has engulfed the state, alleging that President Tinubu deliberately allowed the situation to escalate for political gain.

“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith,” Atiku said. “Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor. His blatant refusal—or calculated negligence—in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.”

The former vice president also linked the recent destruction of federal infrastructure in Rivers to security lapses under Tinubu’s administration, stating that the President must take full responsibility for the breakdown of law and order in the region.

“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability—undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua,” he said.

Atiku argued that the state of emergency unfairly punishes the people of Rivers State rather than addressing the real political issues at play, calling it a dangerous precedent that undermines democratic governance.

“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility,” he stated. “Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”