Declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State was premature

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu surprised Nigerians by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. In his nationwide broadcast, Tinubu blamed the destruction of oil facilities, a fallout of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, 27 House of Assembly members in Rivers […]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu surprised Nigerians by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. In his nationwide broadcast, Tinubu blamed the destruction of oil facilities, a fallout of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, 27 House of Assembly members in Rivers State, for his action.

Part of the president’s speech reads, “Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against the perceived enemy of the governor, who has up till now NOT disowned them. Apart from that, both the House and the governor have not been able to work together. Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state. The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday (Monday, March 17, 2025) and today (Tuesday, March 18, 2025) there have been disturbing incidents of vandalisation of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course, given a stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.”

It is disturbing that Tinubu was disproportionate in apportioning blame for the political impasse in Rivers State. The president accused Governor Fubara of demolishing the State House of Assembly complex but failed to make any reference to his Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike, who stoked opposition against the governor, instigated the House of Assembly to plot his impeachment unnecessarily and stifled the activities of the executive in the state.

It was un-fatherly of the president and an apparent display of dictatorial tendencies for Tinubu to heap the faults for the Rivers State crisis on Fubara, perhaps,  because the governor belongs to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), not the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This newspaper had previously called on the president to rein in Wike because the many narratives about the crisis point to the minister as the troubler of Rivers State.

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The president invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when he declared the state of emergency. The section states that emergency could be declared if “ (a) the Federation is at war; (b) the Federation is in imminent danger of invasion or involvement in a state of war; (c) there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part thereof, to such extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security; (d) there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part thereof, requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger; (e) there is an occurrence or imminent danger, or the occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity affecting the community or a section of the community in the Federation; (f) there is any other public danger which clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of the Federation; or (g) the president receives a request to do so by the provisions of subsection (4) of this section.”

Unfortunately, the Senate and the House of Representatives did not help matters in their outright endorsement of what the president did.

Although Tinubu argued that security reports predicted an escalation of attacks on oil pipelines, it is still difficult to accept that the political impasse in Rivers met the conditions for emergency rule as envisaged in the constitution.

When former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State in 2003, sectarian violence had heightened to an unmanageable level that required the iron fist of the military to bring it under control. In the case of Ekiti State in 2004, it was clear that the impeachment of Governor Ayo Fayose had created a serious political crisis. With the rejection of the impeachment, three persons claimed to be governors – Fayose, his deputy, Biodun Olujimi and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Friday Aderemi. Then President Obasanjo imposed a state of emergency to arrest the chaotic political situation. In the case of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, the governors and other stakeholders appealed to the then President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency to tackle widespread attacks by Boko Haram terrorists. The impasse in Rivers did not qualify for an emergency rule.

We condemn in totality, the activities of so-called militants who sabotage the economy by blowing up oil pipelines. There is no justification for their actions, even if they claim to sympathise with Governor Fubara, the victim of the political manipulations in Rivers State. But there must be a political solution to the crisis. To do so, Tinubu must not shield Wike; the president must call his minister to order. Wike must permit democratically elected Governor Fubara to manage Rivers State without hindrances. The idea of tying fetters around Fubara’s neck, on his legs and hands because Wike facilitated his emergence as governor in 2023 is magisterial, feudal and slavish, a practice not in tandem with democracy.  We reject any tendency for a politician to lay claim to any state as a private property; we reject state capture.

The solution to the impasse in Rivers State is not militarisation. Over the years, troops deployed to the Niger Delta to tackle vandalism and oil theft had failed due to geographical challenges and limited security infrastructure.  Under this condition, the Rivers State sole administrator, Ibok-Eke Ibas, cannot secure the facilities from militant attacks.

President Tinubu must, therefore, find a political solution to the crisis before the first six months of emergency rule expires. Within this period, the president must engage with Governor Fubara and other Rivers State stakeholders and urge them to appeal to vandals against sabotaging the Nigerian economy over the unnecessary political impasses.