Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has voiced strong opposition to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it a direct attack on democratic principles. He asserted that the move was politically motivated and executed in bad faith.
In a statement shared on his verified Facebook page, Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu of either deliberately allowing the crisis to escalate or failing to take necessary action to prevent it. He argued that rather than imposing a state of emergency, Tinubu should take full responsibility for any breaches of federal infrastructure in the state.
“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith,” Atiku stated.
“Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers. His blatant refusal — or calculated negligence — in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.
“Beyond the political scheming in Rivers, the brazen security breaches that led to the condemnable destruction of national infrastructure in the state land squarely on the President’s desk.
“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.
“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. Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.
“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility. 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.”
Atiku’s remarks highlight his belief that the state of emergency is a politically driven move that disregards democratic governance. He warned that the decision could further destabilize the region and reverse the progress made in ensuring peace and stability in the Niger Delta.
