Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has again condemned the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

On March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing the ongoing political crisis and the vandalism of oil facilities as key reasons.

The declaration led to the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state’s House of Assembly for a period of six months. Tinubu also appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator of the state.

The president’s actions have been met with strong opposition, with critics, including members of the civil society and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), calling the move unconstitutional.

In an interview with DW Africa on Friday, Amaechi expressed his strong disapproval of the decision, describing it as politically motivated.

He alleged that the move had instilled fear in governors, suggesting that those who did not align with the president would face similar treatment.

The former Rivers governor said: “It is between the president and the FCT minister. The president wants a power grab. They want to frighten governors who may not support them in 2027. So, there is a rumour everywhere that if you are not careful, the president will remove you.

“If the president said it is because of insecurity, because they blew the pipeline, what about part of the country where there is insecurity? Is the president saying they should impose emergency rule on him too? They can’t because he is a democratically elected president. Nobody can impose an emergency rule on him because there is serious insecurity in the north-east, north-west — even in south-east and south-west.

“Rivers governor has no security responsibility; it rests squarely on the president. So why punish a man who did not commit an offence?

“The president acted outside the Constitution. Section 188 states how a governor can leave office, either by death, resignation, or impeachment. It didn’t say that one day you wake up and a man called the president of Nigeria will throw you out of office, which makes democracy unstable.”

Amaechi called on the residents of Rivers State to resist the actions of President Tinubu, urging them to engage in democratic protests to express their opposition.

On the feud between Wike and Fubara, he said, “’The fight between the current governor of Rivers State and the FCT minister is about sharing money. If not, what is the quarrel? Nigerians don’t dislike corruption anymore. I’ve not seen anybody on the street querying what the problem is. Can both of them speak to the public and tell us what the problem is?

“We are now denied democracy. Rivers State is the only state in the country currently not enjoying democracy. They have imposed military rule on us.” (Weekend Trust)