Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticized the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it an attack on democracy that must be condemned without hesitation.
In a statement shared on his verified Facebook page, Atiku argued that the decision was not made in good faith but was instead a politically motivated move designed to serve partisan interests. He accused President Bola Tinubu of being directly responsible for the crisis in Rivers State, either by actively contributing to the situation or by failing to take necessary actions to prevent its escalation.
Atiku emphasized that if national infrastructure in Rivers State has indeed been compromised, then the blame should rest squarely on the President. Instead of addressing the underlying issues responsibly, he accused the administration of unfairly targeting the people of Rivers State by imposing a state of emergency.
According to Atiku, the ongoing turmoil in Rivers has been fueled by Tinubu’s partisan involvement in the state’s political conflicts. He described the President’s refusal or intentional neglect to prevent the crisis as disgraceful.
The former Vice President further noted that beyond the political struggles in Rivers State, the recent security breaches and the destruction of national infrastructure highlight the failure of the federal government to maintain peace and stability. He argued that Tinubu’s administration has allowed the Niger Delta to slip back into an era of violent unrest, undoing years of progress achieved under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Atiku concluded by asserting that the people of Rivers State should not be punished because of the political rivalry between the state governor and Tinubu’s allies in the federal government. He described the declaration of a state of emergency as a direct assault on democracy and called on Nigerians to reject and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
