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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly opposed the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers State, insisting that President Bola Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to suspend the democratically elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

In a statement on Tuesday, PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba described the declaration as unconstitutional and a violation of the 1999 Constitution. He stated, “The unconstitutional declaration by President Tinubu of the suspension of the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the appointment of an unelected individual, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd), to govern the state is a clear attack on our nation’s democracy. It is an abrogation of the votes and democratic right of the people of Rivers State to choose their leader under the Constitution.”

Ologunagba further alleged that the move was a calculated attempt at state capture, saying, “It is the climax of a well-oiled plot to forcefully take over Rivers State, for which the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been bent on stoking crisis to ensure that democracy is ultimately truncated in the state.”

According to the PDP, the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State is part of a broader plan to weaken opposition parties and establish a one-party system in Nigeria. “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 opposition, impose a totalitarian one-party state, and turn the country into a fiefdom,” Ologunagba warned.

The party also argued that Tinubu’s reliance on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution does not grant him exclusive powers to declare or enforce a state of emergency without the statutory approval of the National Assembly.

“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,’” he added.

The PDP called on the National Assembly and other democratic institutions to intervene and reject what it described as an unconstitutional move that poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.