Atiku Abubakar Slams Tinubu Over Rivers State Emergency Declaration
posted 18th March 2025
Atiku Abubakar Slams Tinubu Over Rivers State Emergency Declaration
Abuja, 18 March 2025 – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of political manipulation and gross negligence in the escalating crisis in Rivers State. In a strongly worded statement, Atiku described the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state as an act of “political manipulation and outright bad faith,” pinning the blame squarely on the President.
Atiku, a prominent figure in the opposition, alleged that Tinubu has played a partisan role in the turmoil gripping Rivers, suggesting that the President’s inaction—or worse, deliberate refusal—to curb the unrest is “nothing short of disgraceful.” The former vice president pointed to recent security breaches in the state, including the destruction of national infrastructure, as evidence of a failure of leadership under Tinubu’s administration.
“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,” Atiku said. “Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.”
The unrest in Rivers State, part of the volatile Niger Delta region, has raised alarm bells across Nigeria, with many fearing a return to the violent instability that plagued the area in the past. Atiku lamented that the progress made under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua—who brokered a hard-won peace in the region—has been “recklessly erased” under Tinubu’s watch. He accused the President of prioritising “selfish political calculations” over the welfare of the region’s people.
“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility,” Atiku asserted, referring to reports of damaged facilities amid the chaos. He further condemned the state of emergency as a punitive measure, arguing that it unfairly targets the people of Rivers State to settle political scores between the state governor and Tinubu’s allies in the federal government.
“Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he declared.
The statement comes amid heightened tensions in Rivers State, where political rivalries and security challenges have fuelled unrest in recent months. Neither the Presidency nor the Rivers State government has yet responded to Atiku’s accusations, but the remarks are likely to intensify the already fierce political debate surrounding the crisis.
As Nigeria watches the situation unfold, Atiku’s intervention has cast a spotlight on Tinubu’s leadership, raising questions about the administration’s ability to maintain stability in one of the country’s most critical regions.
