Atiku Condemns Rivers State of Emergency, Accuses Tinubu of Political Manipulation

By Zainab Rauf Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling ...

By Zainab Rauf

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it a politically motivated move orchestrated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Atiku criticized what he described as Tinubu’s "blatant refusal — or calculated negligence — in preventing this escalation," accusing the President of enabling the ongoing political turmoil in the state.

“The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith,” Atiku stated. He further argued that the crisis, which has led to security breaches and the destruction of national infrastructure, is a direct consequence of the administration’s failures.

Atiku warned that the unrest in the Niger Delta signals a return to instability, undoing what he described as "the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua." He accused the federal government of using the crisis for political gain, stating that “years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.”

He placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on Tinubu, insisting that “if federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility.” Atiku called on Nigerians to reject what he termed an “assault on democracy” and urged for an end to political interference in the governance of the state.

The federal government has yet to respond to Atiku’s statement.