President Bola Tinubu has received more accolades for his decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, which is seen as having broader political and economic safeguards for both the state and the country at large.
The Chairman of Senate Services, Sen. Sunday Karimi, told a news conference in Abuja on Friday that the President acted in the best interest of the state and Nigeria, having made his decision in compliance with the constitution.
“No President or government worth its name will fold its arms and watch a political situation deteriorate to the level we saw unfolding in Rivers State.
“We saw that the bombing of pipelines had begun, and the security situation was worsening, with tensions rising everywhere,” Karimi stated.
Sen. Karimi, who represents Kogi-West Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalled the “fatherly role” Tinubu had played in the crisis since 2023 in an attempt to reconcile the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara—an effort that ultimately failed.
He explained, “We were all here in 2023 when Mr. President convened a truce meeting at the Aso Rock Villa. An eight-point agenda for settlement was agreed upon between the factions.
“When Nigerians expected progress toward achieving peace, the situation instead deteriorated further, reaching the point where the governor demolished the House of Assembly building and governed the state with only three legislators.”
Karimi observed that the recent Supreme Court judgment, which favored the 27 lawmakers loyal to the FCT Minister’s camp, only worsened the situation in the state, as the lawmakers moved to impeach the governor.
“What did you expect the implications to be? More destruction, killings, and economic losses for the country.
“With the bombings that had already started, it was only a matter of time before the entire state would be engulfed in flames. No responsible President would sit idly by and allow that to happen,” he added.
The senator further argued that the administration had made “painstaking efforts” to raise daily crude oil production to around 1.8 million barrels, noting that Nigeria’s economy was already “witnessing a rebound under the government’s Renewed Hope agenda.”
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“Allowing the situation in Rivers to worsen before taking action would not have benefited either the state or Nigeria as a whole.
“Mr. President intervened at the right time, and his actions are fully backed by the law,” he said.
Karimi also referenced the emergency declarations in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and other states under former President Goodluck Jonathan, noting that those declarations did not remove governors from office or suspend state assemblies.
According to him, those cases were driven by security concerns rather than political crises.
“So, I advise those comparing the two scenarios to remember that one was purely about security threats caused by Boko Haram insurgency, while the situation in Rivers is clearly political.
“It was the right decision to suspend the political actors from both factions to allow tensions to subside. Nigerians should appreciate the President for the action he has taken so far,” he stated.
Sen. Karimi also assured that there was no cause for alarm, as the National Assembly had indicated that the emergency rule could be reviewed as soon as conditions in Rivers State showed signs of improvement.
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