Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has restated his condemnation of President Bola Tinubu’s suspension and subsequent reinstatement of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly, describing the move as a blatant violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a post on Thursday on his official X handle, said there was no legal basis for the suspension in the first place and cautioned that such actions could erode democratic principles.
“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,” the former Vice President said.
He stressed that the Nigerian Constitution does not grant the president powers to interfere with the tenure of democratically elected state executives and lawmakers, adding that the development was a dangerous overreach.
“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,” Atiku declared.
His comments came barely 24 hours after President Tinubu announced the lifting of the state of emergency in Rivers State and directed Governor Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the House of Assembly to resume duties on Thursday, September 18.
The suspension, announced in March, had triggered controversy and legal debates, with opposition figures, civil society organisations, and legal scholars questioning its validity.
Critics argued that it undermined the principle of separation of powers and subnational autonomy guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
Atiku warned that celebrating the lifting of the suspension risked legitimising what he described as a constitutional aberration.
“There is absolutely nothing to celebrate. What was illegal yesterday remains illegal today. Nigerians must be vigilant, because this is how democracies collapse — through gradual violations of the law under the guise of order,” he said.
