All Progressives Congress, APC
“The declaration of a state of emergency by President Tinubu was a necessary and constitutionally-backed move to prevent further anarchy. This decision prioritizes the safety and well-being of Rivers people over political considerations.
“Once again, President Tinubu has demonstrated strong leadership and decisive action in handling this crisis. His swift response has prevented what could have been a catastrophic collapse of governance in Rivers State.”
PDP Governors’ Forum
“We stand in solidarity with His Excellency, Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and the good people of Rivers State at this very difficult and trying moment of the state’s political history. There is no other time that our philosophy of “TOUCH ONE TOUCH ALL” is more apt than now.
“He who goes to the court of equity must go with clean hands. Mr. President, your silence on the active role played by your Minister of the FCT in the Rivers impasse is golden and enabling. He has become a law unto himself because he was playing out your script. Now we know. This is totally unstatemanly, biased, and divisive.
“We state categorically that this unwarranted but premeditated attack on Rivers State and the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties is today, the greatest threat to democracy in our dear country, Nigeria and it is an ill wind that will blow no one any good. It is a dangerous course of action that will not only endanger our hard won democracy, but will exacerbate the crises in the nation, deepen mistrust, elevate security threats, destroy the economy, and our national cohesion and stability.”
Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-General of the Federation
“We have about two years into the administration in the state.
“Now, when do you think he (President Tinubu) should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so.
“I think the President has acted timeously. He has given the opportunity to all the parties involved to make amends. Before then, he had to assemble them, and he had tried to mediate.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is political manipulation and outright bad faith.
“His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.
“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.”
New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP
“Of course, the presidential fiat invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution is arbitrary in the circumstances, to say the least, particularly on the conditions precedent and implications for democracy and development of the country.
“It is clearly a dangerous precedent which can only be interpreted as an absurd political manipulation on the part of the federal government.
“Why the rush to proclaim a State of Emergency without the conditions precedent as required by law? Doesn’t the president’s action vitiate the rule of law he talked about in his speech?
“Hasn’t he, by this rash action shown us that he does not fully understand the long-term implications and have the requisite skills required to rule a complex country like Nigeria?
“Or is it about his Party’s much-touted political interest in Rivers State ahead of 2027?
“These are questions germane to this unfortunate decision, which, of course, sends frightening signals both locally and internationally regarding the rule of law and overall state of things in our union.”
Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of Labour Party
“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is not just reckless—it is a clear attempt to return us to a state of nature and tighten its grip on power at all costs.
“It has plunged us back into a state of lawlessness, hugely undoing the progress we have made in these 26 years of democratic journey.
“It is a degrading back door imposition of martial rule on a strategic part of the federation with all the implied negatives.”
Afam Osigwe (SAN), President of the Nigerian Bar Association
“The problem in Rivers State is caused by the egos of the people involved — the principal actors refusing to sit down and find a solution that works for the state.
“Blaming the Supreme Court or any other party will not solve the problem. If the stakeholders had placed Rivers State above their personal interests and cared about the security of the people, we would not be in this situation.
“It became an ego fight — a contest of who is bigger and can do more. Ego is the root of the problem in Rivers State, not the Supreme Court. Sometimes, people receive judgments from the court but decide to hold onto them to find practical solutions.”
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, CON
“Who advised the President to take this course of action? Whoever it is, they are certainly not a friend of his administration, nor do they have the best interests of Nigeria at heart.
How could the President willingly walk into a raging inferno with his eyes wide open? No, no, no… this must be the work of fifth columnists. The Tinubu I once knew would not have made such a reckless and unnecessary decision.
To what end? This is a simple political dispute that requires a simple solution. Call the two gladiators, sit them down, and read them the riot act. One of them, after all, is your own appointee. What will it benefit you, Mr. President, to keep Wike and lose the Nigerian economy?
Does the President realize that the Niger Delta crisis twice pushed Nigeria into recession under President Muhammadu Buhari?
Has he been informed that at one point, Nigeria’s oil production collapsed to below 400,000 barrels per day, down from 2.5 million barrels per day? That catastrophic drop in production was a direct result of political mismanagement and conflict in the region.
It took years of painstaking effort and immense risks to stabilize the region, stop the sabotage of oil infrastructure, and restore some level of production. I should know — I was part of that difficult and excruciating process.
This decision threatens to undo all that progress.
If the situation escalates, we risk another shutdown of vital oil production facilities. We risk renewed pipeline sabotage, illegal oil bunkering, and militant activities. We risk another economic nosedive — at a time when Nigeria can least afford it.
This Is Not the Way to Manage This Crisis, Mr. President
This portends disaster — for your administration, for the economy, and for the nation.
A state of emergency is not a strategy — it is an admission of failure. There are far more effective, far less destructive ways to handle this situation.”