Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, has said that the declared state of emergency saved Rivers state from collapse and destruction amid the power tussle between Governor Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike’s “combatants [who] refused to allow reason to prevail.”
In an op-ed published on his social media page, Mr Onanuga said, “The political crisis in Rivers State between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly, who owe allegiance to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,” had already ignited violence that could have cost lives and sabotaged Nigeria’s economy.
“Imagine a Rivers State where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hesitated to declare a state of emergency. The political standoff between the State Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara could have continued and degenerated into violence,” Mr Onanuga said.
He added, “Impeachment threats might have spurred attacks on lawmakers by the governor’s supporters, while militants in the creeks—primed to sabotage critical oil infrastructure—could have plunged Nigeria’s oil production back to pre-2023 lows. Sensational reporting of the crisis by journalists and opportunistic litigation would have inflamed tensions further, paralyzing governance and risking lives. Schools and hospitals would shutter; investors would flee. We can only imagine the human and economic toll.”
Mr Onanuga lauded Mr Tinubu for promptly declaring a state of emergency in Rivers, suspending Mr Fubara, his deputy, and lawmakers for six months because “Rivers was in a grave situation, as the combatants refused to allow reason to prevail.”
“The President took action in the best interest of the people of the state, who had become victims of the warring politicians—the people they elected to serve them. President Tinubu needed to act. He chose prevention over cure,” Mr Onanuga said.
He added, “Today, thanks to the president’s intervention, Rivers State can breathe again. Political tensions have eased, banal headlines have quietened, and stakeholders—encouraged by the newly appointed administrator—are charting a path to lasting peace. Critics who argue the crisis ‘did not yet warrant’ emergency rule ignore a stark truth: waiting for the breakdown of law and order to escalate into anarchy before acting is like withholding firefighters until a house burns to ashes.”
Last Tuesday, Mr Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers state, suspending Mr Fubara, his deputy, and all elected officials in the state amid the political crisis between Mr Fubara and his godfather, Mr Wike.
This development has divided opinions, as some Nigerians questioned Mr Tinubu’s power to suspend elected officials in a state.
However, the National Assembly has ratified the state of emergency via a voice vote, a move many have condemned as improper for determining a two-third majority in a serious issue like Rivers.
