Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the members of the state House of Assembly for six months unconstitutional.
In a statement posted on his X handle, El-Rufai pointed out that the Nigerian Constitution does not permit the removal or suspension of an elected state governor by the President under emergency rule, describing such actions as a threat to the country’s democratic system.
El-Rufai suggested that instead of suspending the executive and legislative branches of Rivers State, a state of emergency could have been declared to empower security agencies with extraordinary powers and resources to address any security challenges in the state.
He stressed that extending emergency powers to dismantle democratic structures constitutes an unjustifiable attack on the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
