The National Assembly has said that it unanimously supported President Bola Tinubu in his decision to suspend democratic governance in the oil-rich state of Rivers.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy were suspended on Tuesday evening for six months and a former Naval chief, Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas was appointed as Administrator of the State.
Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr, said in response to multiple inquiries that the National Assembly was duly consulted by Tinubu, in reaching the decision.
His words: “The leadership of the National Assembly — including the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio…; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen…; the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu…; the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele…; and the House Leader, Rep. Prof. Julius Ihonvbere …, — met with the President and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, ahead of the broadcast.
“Also in attendance were key security officials, including the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Adeola Ajayi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed.
“During this meeting, they were fully briefed on Mr. President’s intentions, and all present unanimously expressed their support.
“Furthermore, Mr. President’s formal letter, informing the House of Representatives of his decision and seeking approval in line with Section 305 of the Constitution, has been transmitted and will be read during plenary tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, and further legislative action debated and decided.”
Meanwhile a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has kicked against the President’s decision on River State, describing it as disgraceful.
His words: “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith.
“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.”
