The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended President Bola Tinubu for declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing the move as necessary to safeguard democracy and prevent further political crisis in the state.
Reacting to the declaration, the National Secretary of the ruling party, Ajibola Basiru, lauded the president’s action.
“The decision of Mr. President is a welcome one. It is a decision to salvage democracy and save Rivers from becoming a failed state. The President has shown that he is a statesman and not partisan in the matters of Rivers State,” Basiru told TheSun.
He lamented that political gladiators in Rivers were ignoring the adverse effects of the crisis on the people and the state’s economy, emphasizing that Tinubu’s intervention aligns with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions.
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“In view of the significance of Rivers State to the Nigerian economy, we cannot allow the situation to degenerate to the extent that it affects the overall economic well-being of Nigerians. It is a signal that the President will not tolerate illegality,” he added.
Addressing concerns over the legality of the move, Basiru dismissed critics who questioned the president’s authority to suspend a sitting governor, arguing that national stability must take precedence.
“If some lawyers are saying that Mr. President lacks the power to suspend a sitting governor, do they want Nigeria to be destroyed before he invokes the relevant constitutional provision?” he queried.
Basiru also blamed certain legal advisers for leading former Governor Siminalayi Fubara into crisis by encouraging him to govern with only four House of Assembly members. He urged critics of Tinubu’s decision to seek redress in court rather than compromise national peace and development.
Citing the 2010 invocation of the doctrine of necessity that facilitated Goodluck Jonathan’s rise to the presidency, the APC secretary stressed that similar decisive action was required in Rivers.
“The decision taken by Mr. President is very sound. Any reasonable leader concerned about the security and welfare of Rivers State would have taken the same action. Would he have allowed the state to go into anarchy and become another Somalia because of constitutional interpretation by some people?” he argued.
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