By Admin

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday strongly criticized the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it an act of political manipulation and bad faith.

Atiku, in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, accused President Bola Tinubu of playing a partisan role in the ongoing political crisis in Rivers. He alleged that Tinubu’s refusal—or deliberate negligence—in addressing the situation has directly contributed to the escalating tensions in the state.

The former VP further linked the recent security breaches and destruction of national infrastructure in Rivers to the President’s leadership, arguing that Tinubu’s administration has either enabled the unrest or failed to prevent it.

“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability—undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua,” Atiku stated. He warned that years of progress in the region have been “recklessly erased” due to what he described as selfish political calculations.

He also insisted that if federal infrastructure in Rivers had been compromised, the President must take full responsibility. He decried the idea of using a state of emergency as a tool to punish the people of Rivers State amid a political battle between the state government and Tinubu’s allies in Abuja.

“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 added.

Atiku’s statement has intensified political debate over the crisis in Rivers, with many awaiting the federal government’s response to the allegations.