The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, on Wednesday, cleared the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, of all wrong doings in the Rivers State crises, fingering the suspended Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, for being solely responsible for the imbroglio that has led to a declaration of State of Emergency.

At a media chat with State House correspondent in Abuja, the AGF said President Bola Tinubu acted timely with his proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State, the suspension of the governor, and the appointment of a sole administration, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd).

Fagbemi said Fubara demolished the State House of Assembly Complex to avoid being impeached and refused to rebuild it more than one year later, and blamed the governor for failing to implement the February 28, 2025 ruling of the Supreme Court as well not cautioning militants, who had threatened to blow pipelines in the state. “There was not a word dissuading the militant who issued the threats,” he said.

He said the situation could not have been allowed to continue as the critical economic lifeline of the nation was criminally touched.

Fagbemi said Wike did not feature in the matter that was decided by the Supreme Court and should not be sentimentally brought into it, noting that the emergency rule declaration was some sort of saving grace for Fubara who had been served impeachment notice by pro-Wike lawmakers.

“If that impeachment had been allowed to take its full course, the governor would have entirely lost and completely.

“So, in a way, instead of allowing the impeachment to continue, and which in the end would have seen both the governor and the deputy governor out of office for the entirety of their four-year term with the remainder of what they have — a balance of two years and two months,” the AGF said.

Fagbemi said Wike should not be brought into the matter as he was not responsible for the actions of Fubara who failed to act in line with the constitutional requirements of getting the approval of the state legislators in the affairs of the state.

He said, “There are occasions when it comes to national issues, we have to come out plainly and sincerely. Where do you put the Minister of the FCT in this case? Was he the one who asked for the demolition of the House of Assembly?

“Was he the one who said the governor should not present the budget to the House of Assembly? Was he the one who advised the governor not to go through the House of Assembly for purposes of ratifying the commissioner-nominees?

“I don’t know because if you want to look at a case, you look at the facts that have been presented. The Supreme Court made these critical findings. The FCT minister did not feature.

“Assuming he featured, he would have featured on the side of the legislators but what you have here is let everybody go home for the first six months. So, I don’t see his hands here in what we have.”

Fagbemi advised all those who do not agree with the president’s move to channel their energy to the National Assembly to veto the president’s decision.

Wike, who is the immediate-past governor of Rivers State, has been locked in a protracted power tussle with Fubara, his estranged political godson, for about two years. The apex court recently backed the pro-Wike Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.

The suspension of Fubara and other democratically elected representatives has been expressly rejected and condemned by many eminent Nigerians, legal luminaries, and groups including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), among others.

However, the emergency rule has been praised by the pro-Nyesom Wike suspended lawmakers, who accused Fubara of contravening the Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, labeling it as “political manipulation and outright bad faith.”

Atiku criticized Tinubu for being a “vested partisan actor” in the crisis and accused him of negligence in preventing its escalation.

Atiku said the security breaches and destruction of national infrastructure in Rivers are directly the President’s responsibility.

He argued that Tinubu’s administration has enabled chaos in the Niger Delta, reversing years of progress achieved under late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

His words: “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith. Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers.

“His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful. Beyond the political scheming in Rivers, the brazen security breaches that led to the condemnable destruction of national infrastructure in the state land squarely on the President’s desk.

“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent. It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability — undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

“Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations. If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility.”

Source: Politicsnigeria

TEXT OF THE BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, DECLARING STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025

Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.

With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.

Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.

On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms:

“a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”

The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected

“are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”

The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.

Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them.

Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.

Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.

The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.

With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.

In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.

By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.

In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.

The Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.

This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution. It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

Long live a united, peaceful, secure and democratic Rivers State in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.