‘It’s Political Manipulation’, Atiku Blasts Tinubu For Declaring State Of Emergency In Rivers

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, thereby suspending both executive and legislative arms of government in the State for a period of six months over the political and security crises in the State, saying the President’s action ‘reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith’.

In a statement posted his verified social media handles on Tuesday night, Atiku said Tinubu should be held responsible for the prolonged political and security crises in Rivers State as he failed to act when necessary.

“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,” Atiku stated.

LEADERSHIP reports that President Tinubu on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in River State, thereby suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the State House Assembly for an initial period of six months over political and security crises in the State, which he said, had impeded governance and as well undermined democratic institutions.