Key opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and scores of concerned leaders and political stakeholders in Nigeria, have called on both chambers of the National Assembly to outrightly reject the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

At a joint press conference addressed by…, they called for the immediate reinstatement of the elected Governor, Deputy Governor, and State Assembly members of Rivers State in the interest of peace and tranquillity in the country.

Arguing that the proclamation was in clear breach of Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), they asserted that the action was not only unlawful but also a clear subversion of democracy and an imposition of autocratic federal control over a duly elected state government.

They maintained that it behooves the National Assembly to stand on the right side of history and not allow itself to be used to legitimise an unconstitutional power grab in Rivers State.

They also called on the judiciary to act swiftly in striking down the proclamation, as it sets a dangerous precedent that could be used to arbitrarily remove any Governor in the future.

The pro-democracy group further called on all civil society organisations, political groups, and Nigerians of good conscience to stand firm in the defense of democracy in the country.

They argued that Rivers State is not a conquered territory, and Nigeria is not a dictatorship requiring the replacement of an elected Governor with a military administrator.

They recalled that even when President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration declared a state of emergency in parts of the Northeast geopolitical zone of the country, bedevilled by insurgency and acts of terrorism, the governors of the concerned states were not removed from office, as the President Tinubu-led administration has done.

Stating that the declaration of emergency rule by President Tinubu represents a new low for the country, they warned against the manufacture of political crises that could disrupt the fragile stability and return the country to a past that well-meaning Nigerians have all prayed to leave behind for good.

They added: “We must never allow personal political interests and the desire to hold on to power at all costs to throw the country into unavoidable chaos through brazen subversion of the principles of federalism, democracy, and constitutional governance. This is not just about Rivers State; it is about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”

Among them were the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai; the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal; and the immediate past National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, while the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, was represented at the event.