Ademola Olarewaju, special assistant to Atiku Abubakar on digital media strategy, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state, describing it as a “constitutional overreach.”
Olarewaju accused Tinubu of political bias and warned that the move signals a dangerous precedent that could threaten other governors’ positions in the future.
Legit.ng reported that Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on Tuesday, March 18, citing political tensions and security concerns.
The declaration led to the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers governor, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly.
Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs for six months.
To make matters more interesting, Lateef Fagbemi, the minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation, on Wednesday, March 19, absolved Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of any wrongdoing in the protracted political crisis in Rivers state.
Fagbemi clarified that Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers state, played no role in the political crisis that led to the state of emergency declaration by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, March 18.
What Tinubu’s move means for other governors
In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng on Sunday, March 23, Ademola Olarewaju, Atiku’s aide, strongly condemned the move, adding that it was a threat to democracy and other governors’ security in office.
Olarewaju told Legit.ng that:
“It was absolutely an overreach. The security situation in Rivers State was not unmanageable or out of the control of Governor Fubara or the President himself working through Fubara, to have warranted the presidential coup on democracy via a State of emergency declaration.”
“It was furthermore a constitutional overreach as the constitution did not envisage it to be used in any situation of one-sided political dispute in which Tinubu himself had taken sides against the people of Rivers state.
“In any case, a clear message has now been sent to other Governors that Tinubu may be coming after their seats by extra-constitutional means when he no longer needs them. It not only exposes Tinubu’s inability to use his formerly assumed sagacity to resolve disputes, it also exposes that he wants to be a tyrant so badly.”
Atiku asks Nigerians to resist state of emergency
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday, March 20, asked Nigerians to stand up and defend the country’s democracy by resisting the emergency rule imposed in Rivers state by President Bola Tinubu.
The former vice-president spoke in Abuja at a press conference of concerned political leaders.
