The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

PDP says it is an “unconstitutional power grab” aimed at dismantling democracy in the region.

The opposition party, in a Tuesday press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, rejected what it described as an “outright violation” of the 1999 Constitution and an attempt to impose an unelected government on the people of Rivers State.

“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and indeed, Nigerians listened with dismay to the national broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in which the President, in utter violation of the 1999 Constitution, pronounced an imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State.”

The PDP decried Tinubu’s decision to suspend the elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and replace him with retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, arguing that such an action “borders on an attempt at state capture.”

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“The unconstitutional declaration by President Tinubu of the suspension of the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and appointment of an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd), to govern the State is a clear attack on our nation’s democracy, an abrogation of the votes and democratic right of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution.”

The statement further accused the All Progressives Congress of deliberately fueling the crisis in Rivers State as part of a broader strategy to “forcefully take over Rivers State” and neutralize political opposition across the country.

The statement further read, “It is the climax of a well-oiled plot to forcefully take over Rivers State, for which the APC has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is ultimately truncated in the State.”

Emergency Rule Declared ‘Incompetent’

The PDP also questioned the legal basis for the state of emergency, insisting that Tinubu’s move does not meet the constitutional threshold for such a drastic measure.

“Nigerians are invited to note that the situation in Rivers State and the reasons adduced by the President cannot justify the declaration of a state of emergency in the State under the 1999 Constitution, rendering the declaration completely incompetent.”

The party alleged that the move was part of a larger plan to “foist a siege mentality across Nigeria” and erode political plurality, paving the way for “a totalitarian one-party state.”

“The PDP alerts that the unwarranted imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State is part of the larger vicious plot to foist a siege mentality across Nigeria, decimate the opposition, impose a totalitarian one-party state, and turn the country into a fiefdom,” it added.

Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the opposition party stressed that the President lacks the exclusive power to impose emergency rule without National Assembly approval and called his actions illegal.

It continued, “For the avoidance of doubt, Section 305 (2) provides 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, each of whom shall forthwith convene or arrange for a meeting of the House of which he is President or Speaker, as the case may be, to consider the situation and decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the proclamation.’”

Warning to Vice Admiral Ibas

The PDP also issued a stern warning to Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd.), urging him not to accept the appointment or take any steps that could “derail democratic governance” in Rivers State.

The party warned, “Mr. President should recognize that his order to an unelected individual to forthwith take over government of Rivers State is illegal and a clear recipe for crisis, threat to the peace and stability of not only Rivers State but the entire nation.”

The party reminded Nigerians that Fubara was elected for a four-year tenure, which cannot be unconstitutionally abridged.

“For emphasis, Governor Fubara was democratically elected for a tenure of four years which tenure cannot be unconstitutionally abridged,” Ologunagba stated.

PDP to Resist Emergency Rule

The PDP vowed to resist any attempt to subvert democracy in Rivers State and urged all democratic forces, civil society organizations, and Nigerians to rise against what it called “a dangerous precedent.”

“Nigeria is not under a military rule where the governance of a state is by appointment by a junta,” it concluded.

With the House of Representatives set to deliberate on “Tinubu’s emergency rule request on Wednesday, March 19, 2025,” all eyes are on the National Assembly as the nation braces for what could be a major constitutional showdown.