TEGICMEDIA EDITORIAL: Tinubu’s Dangerous Overreach in Rivers: A Democracy on Trial

A dark cloud looms over Nigeria’s democracy. In a shocking display of executive recklessness, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, an action brazenly rubber-stamped by the National Assembly. This is not just an assault on a sitting governor—it is a direct coup against democracy, an unconstitutional power grab that sets a dangerous precedent for the nation.

The Nigerian Constitution in Section 305 outlines the conditions for declaring a state of emergency: war, natural disaster, internal insurrection, or public danger so grave that normal governance is impossible. None of these conditions exist in Rivers. Political disagreements, no matter how tense, do not justify an emergency rule. Tinubu’s move is a reckless abuse of power, a desperate attempt to exert control over a state where his political grip remains weak. Worse still, the National Assembly, instead of defending democracy, shamelessly capitulated and endorsed this illegality.

Nowhere in the Constitution is the President given the power to unilaterally suspend an elected governor. Section 188 clearly outlines the only legal pathway—impeachment by the State House of Assembly. By sidestepping this process, Tinubu has trampled on the democratic will of Rivers people, who elected Fubara. This is a blatant act of political suppression, a crude attempt to dictate leadership through the backdoor. If left unchallenged, this sets the stage for further executive impunity, where any dissenting governor can be arbitrarily removed at the President’s whim.

The complicity of the National Assembly is a national disgrace. Rather than upholding the Constitution, lawmakers have surrendered their integrity to the whims of the presidency. This reckless endorsement of illegality exposes a deeper rot: a legislature that no longer serves the people but exists only to appease an overbearing executive. If the lawmakers had any respect for their mandate, they would have rejected this unlawful decree with the same vehemence they displayed when defending their own bloated allowances.

TegicMedia unequivocally condemns this unconstitutional power play. Nigerians must resist this assault on federalism, democracy, and the rule of law. Civil society, the judiciary, and the people of Rivers must rise to defend their mandate before this reckless precedent consumes the entire nation. If Tinubu can get away with this today, who will be next?