Rivers: Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency a threat to democracy – El-Rufai

The former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has warned President Bola Tinubu that his move to suspend Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu is unconstitutional and a threat to democracy.

El-Rufai in a Facebook post on Wednesday night stated that the Nigerian Constitution does not give the President the power to remove elected officials at the state level.

While acknowledging the security concerns in Rivers State, he argued that there are legal ways to handle them without dismantling democratic structures.

If the situation required urgent intervention, he said, a state of emergency could have been declared to allow security agencies to act, rather than removing officials elected by the people.

He reminded Tinubu of his past opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in the North-East.

At that time, Tinubu spoke against the move, even though Jonathan did not suspend elected officials.

Now, El-Rufai is urging the President to reconsider his decision and act within the law.

He also cited a Supreme Court ruling that made it clear suspending elected officials is illegal.

He warned that if this decision is not reversed, it could push the country into a crisis similar to the Western Region political turmoil of 1962, which led to serious unrest.

El-Rufai called on Nigerians to raise their voices against what he described as a clear violation of the law.

He urged the Federal Government to correct its mistake and respect democracy before further damage is done.