Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s lifting of the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, describing it as unlawful and undemocratic to begin with.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday morning, Atiku said there was nothing to celebrate in Tinubu’s move because the initial suspension of the governor and lawmakers was unconstitutional in the first place.
“Lifting the suspension of Governor Simi Fubara is nothing to cheer about. The suspension of the Rivers State Governor and the State House of Assembly was unconstitutional when it was done six months ago and is still illegal today,” Atiku wrote.
The veteran politician stressed that President Tinubu had no legal authority to suspend a duly elected state governor and legislature.
He argued that the Rivers episode only reinforced his view that the current administration is sliding into authoritarianism.
“President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and state lawmakers. The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration,” he added.
AFRIPOST reports that Atiku’s statement comes a day after Tinubu announced the end of the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, which had been declared in March following a deep political crisis in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, this latest move cleared the way for Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and state lawmakers to return to office.
While the Presidency has framed the decision as a step toward restoring peace and stability, Atiku’s criticism highlights the lingering constitutional debate over the federal government’s intervention in state affairs.