The presidential candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 General Election, Atiku Abubakar,
has announced the formation of a coalition of opposition political parties to unseat
President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The former Vice President of
Nigeria, Atiku, made this known while responding to a question on behalf of the
opposition leaders at an ongoing press conference at the Yar’Adua Centre in
Abuja.
He said, “Yes, this is the birth
of the coalition of opposition ahead of 2027.”
This announcement comes amid the
chaos in Rivers State.
Recall that on Tuesday, President
Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Tinubu’s state of emergency
declaration has sparked condemnations among Nigerians.
See full speech below:
JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE BY
CONCERNED LEADERS AND POLITICAL STAKEHOLDERS IN NIGERIA ON THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED
TINUBU
Fellow Nigerians,
We, a cross-section of leaders
and political stakeholders from across the country, have come together to
address the dangerous and unconstitutional actions taken by President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on March 18, 2025—to wit, the declaration of a State of
Emergency in Rivers State and the illegal suspension of the Governor, Deputy
Governor, and the State House of Assembly.
This action is not only unlawful
but a clear attempt to subvert democracy and impose federal control over a duly
elected state government. We strongly condemn this development and call on all
Nigerians of good conscience to resist this brazen assault on constitutional
governance.
Seemingly, Mr President’s illegal
and unconstitutional proclamation was driven by the protracted insidious
political crisis in Rivers State, culminating in the recent ruling of the
Supreme Court. Ordinarily, all parties involved would have been expected to
follow laid-down procedures, motivated by good faith, to quickly implement the
judgment of the highest court of the land. We note that Governor Fubara’s
disposition is geared towards full implementation of the ruling of the Supreme
Court, despite provocative statements from opposing quarters.
It is also notable that Mr
President’s broadcast to the nation on 18th March 2025 betrayed his bias and is
infra dig of the sophisticated communication expected from the highest office
in the land. By so doing, the President dragged himself and his highly exalted
office into the arena of the political brawl, thereby denigrating his high
office through inelegant language, predisposed excessiveness and malignant
deportment.
The Constitutional Violations
1.Illegal Removal of a Governor
and State Assembly
The Nigerian Constitution does
not empower the President to remove an elected Governor, Deputy Governor, or
State Assembly under any circumstances. The procedure for removing a Governor
is clearly outlined in Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) through an impeachment process initiated by the
State House of Assembly—not by presidential proclamation.
2.Misuse of Section 305 on State
of Emergency
Section 305 of the Constitution
allows the President to declare a State of Emergency only in extreme cases
where public safety, national security, or Nigeria’s sovereignty is at serious
risk. However, it does not grant him the power to suspend elected officials or
to demolish democratic structures as is currently being attempted.
Furthermore, Section 305(1)
states that any proclamation of emergency is subject to the provisions of the
Constitution—meaning it cannot override the tenure and removal procedures of a
Governor.
3.Failure to Meet Constitutional
Requirements for Emergency Rule
The conditions under Section
305(3) for declaring a state of emergency include:
War or external aggression
Breakdown of public order and
safety
Natural disasters or any other
grave emergency threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence
None of these conditions exist in
current circumstances in Rivers State. There is no war, no widespread violence,
and no breakdown of law and order warranting emergency rule.
4.Failure to Follow Due Process
Even if an emergency declaration
were valid (which it is not), it would still require a two-thirds majority
approval of ALL members of the National Assembly—that is, at least, 72 Senators
and 240 members of the House of Representatives. If this approval is not
secured, the proclamation must automatically cease to have effect.
5.Alternative Legal Avenues Were
Ignored
If the issue was the dysfunction
of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the President could have encouraged the
National Assembly to intervene under Section 11 of the Constitution. However,
even under such an intervention, the Governor and Deputy Governor cannot be
removed by any arm of government except through constitutional means, as the
proviso to S. 11(4) clearly provides.
A Manufactured Crisis for
Political Control
This State of Emergency
declaration is not about security—it is about power. The disagreements within
Rivers State stem from the defection of 27 Assembly members from the PDP to the
APC, their loss of seats under constitutional provisions, and the subsequent
political manoeuvring to undermine the Governor’s mandate.
Rather than allowing the law to
take its course, the federal government has engineered a crisis to justify this
unconstitutional action. The excuse of pipeline vandalism—an issue squarely
under the control of federal security agencies and privately contracted
security firms—is laughable. If security breaches are the concern, the first
question should be: Who controls the police, the military, and the DSS? The
Governor or the President?
Our Demand and Call to Action
1.Immediate Reversal: We call on
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately revoke this unconstitutional
proclamation and reinstate the elected Governor, Deputy Governor, and State
Assembly of Rivers State.
2.National Assembly’s Rejection:
We call on patriotic Senators and Representatives to vote against this illegal
action when it comes before them for approval. The National Assembly must not
be used to legitimise an unconstitutional power grab.
3.Judicial Intervention: We urge
the judiciary to act swiftly in striking down this proclamation, as it sets a
dangerous precedent that could be used to arbitrarily remove any Governor in
the future.
4.Nigerians Must Defend Democracy:
We call on all civil society organisations, political groups, and Nigerians of
good conscience to stand firm in the defence of this democracy that we have all
toiled to build. Rivers State is not a conquered territory, and Nigeria is not
a dictatorship requiring the replacement of an ELECTED GOVERNOR with a MILITARY
ADMINISTRATOR.
Conclusion
A peaceful Niger Delta is
critical to the economic health and stability of Nigeria. The federal
government should not manufacture political crises that could disrupt this
fragile stability.
We must never allow personal
political interests to override the principles of federalism, democracy, and
constitutional governance. This is not just about Rivers State—it is about the
future of Nigeria’s democracy.
Other opposition leaders present
at the ongoing press conference include, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential
candidate, Peter Obi, who is represented by Yunusa Tanko, former Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, former Kaduna State Governor,
Nasir El-Rufai, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political
Parties, Peter Ahmeh, and Convenor of the Alternative, Segun Showunmi, among
others.
Among those whose apologies were
announced are former governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti),
and the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress,
Abdullahi Adamu, among others.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com