The former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, who is also a legal practitioner, has described President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State as a politically motivated move aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dalung made this claim in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he criticized the president’s decision to suspend the governor, his deputy, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.
On March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing political instability and the disruption of governance as the reasons behind his actions.
Tinubu’s decision to suspend elected officials in the state and appoint a sole administrator was met with mixed reactions, with some analysts arguing that it was part of a grand plan for the 2027 elections.
Naija News reports that Dalung, who weighed in on the issue, agreed with analysts who suggested that the move was politically motivated.
“I agree with those who are insinuating that it is 2027 in action. If it were not so, why did the president abandon the lawful options and embark on an unlawful option?” Dalung said.
The former minister further emphasized that Rivers State is a crucial political stronghold in Nigeria. “Rivers is a very strategic political community in Nigeria; their democracy is important in determining who becomes the president of Nigeria,” Dalung asserted.
Dalung pointed to the political fallout in Rivers, where Governor Siminalayi Fubara, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had distanced himself from President Tinubu’s influence.
“Having lost Rivers to Fubara, who has now refused to do the bidding of his godfather, the president knows that his stronghold has been reducing,” he said, referencing the dwindling political power of Tinubu’s allies in key states like Kano and Lagos.
With the dynamics in Rivers, alongside the shifting political realities in other strongholds, Dalung suggested that the actions taken by Tinubu were aligned with a broader strategy for the 2027 elections.
“No doubt, 2027 is in focus,” he concluded, signaling that the president’s moves were calculated to secure his influence in the upcoming electoral cycle.
