Atiku, Obi, CUPP React as Tinubu Lifts Emergency Rule in Rivers State
By Missang AKPET
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday September 17 officially lifted the State of Emergency in Rivers State and directed Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly to resume their official duties today Thursday, September 18.
The emergency rule was declared in the state in March following a prolonged political crisis that led to break down of law and order in the state.
The reinstatement has elicited divergent reactions from some political players.
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar described the suspension of the Rivers State Governor and the State House of Assembly as unconstitutional an illegal with nothing
He opined that President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and the state lawmaker adding that the Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration.
The former presidential candidate of the labour party Peter Obi described the situation as "A misstep that should not have happened".
According to him, "the restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today.
"It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time. I just hope that some lessons were learned by all the gladiators in the Rivers State impasse. Great minds remind us that 'The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing'
"A true leader is the one who admits his/her mistakes, is smart enough to learn from them, and is strong enough to correct them.
"I would like to congratulate the good people of Rivers State for their endurance in the face of provocations" Obi tweeted on his official X handle.
He however appealed to Governor Similanayi Fubara, the members of the state House of Assembly and all the political leaders in the state to embrace peace and forge ahead adding that the real mistake is the one where we end up learning nothing.
Former NDDC chairman and national Inec Commissioner Lauretta Onochie on her part said President Tinubu never thought that the 6 months of hell he illegally and unconstitutionally imposed on Rivers State would come to an end.
Onochie who posted on her social media handle said the Humiliation of the people of Rivers State, the people of the Niger Delta and by extension, the desecration of the Nigerian Constitution, when he suspended a democratically elected governor chosen by the good people of Rivers State, will not go unpunished.
"Lawlessness, Impunity and insult, will be punished in 2027 by all and sundry... We are set" she wrote
Meanwhile, Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike has hailed the presidents intervention describing it as a move for peace and stability.
In a statement by Lere Olayinka, his special assistant on public communications and social media, Wike said Tinubu demonstrated commitment to peace and democracy with the emergency rule.
The minister said the president’s intervention restored the confidence of the people of Rivers state in his leadership while commending the people of Rivers for supporting Tinubu in his efforts to “return the country to the path of progress and development”.
He however called on all stakeholders in the state to work together harmoniously in the collective interest of the state and its people.
Wike cautioned politicians seeking to benefit from the crisis to stay away from the state.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) welcomed the termination of the state of emergency but condemned it's declaration as an eregious act of federal overreach and assault on Nigeria's democratic principles.
Governor Sim Fubara, his Deputy and the suspended house of Assembly members will be resuming duties today September 18, ending 6 months of sole administrator rule in Rivers state.
