Nigerian opposition leaders Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, on Thursday, September 18, 2025, criticised President Bola Tinubu despite the Nigerian leader restoring democratic governance to Rivers state.
The presidential hopefuls, who said President Tinubu should not have suspended Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara in the first place, stated that the Nigerian leader's latest action should not be celebrated.
Legit.ng previously reported that President Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers following a prolonged feud between Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of the state and current minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), and his successor, Fubara.
During the period of the emergency rule, Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state house of assembly were suspended from office, while Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) was appointed sole administrator for six months. With the measure ending on Wednesday, September 17, the suspended public officials have now been reinstated by President Tinubu.
Tinubu, in a nationwide address on Wednesday evening, September 17, recalled that he declared the emergency rule after a political crisis engulfed Rivers state, pitting the governor against 27 members of the assembly loyal to the speaker, while only four lawmakers backed Fubara.
He noted that the crisis rendered governance impossible and left critical economic assets such as oil pipelines vulnerable to vandalism.
Reacting via statements posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) handles, Messrs Atiku and Obi insisted that President Tinubu's action concerning the Rivers state political crisis was "unconstitutional".
Obi wrote: "The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today. "It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time.
The misstep that should not have happened.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) September 18, 2025
The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today.
It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time.
I just hope that some lessons…
"I just hope that some lessons were learned by all the gladiators in the Rivers State impasse. Great minds remind us that 'The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing'."
Obi added: "A true leader is the one who admits his/her mistakes, is smart enough to learn from them, and is strong enough to correct them. "I would like to congratulate the good people of Rivers state for their endurance in the face of provocations and to appeal to Governor Similaya Fubara, the members of the state house of assembly and all the political leaders in the state to embrace peace and forge ahead."
In the same vein, Atiku posited: "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. President Tinubu had no power to suspend a democratically elected governor and state lawmakers.
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. President Tinubu had no power to suspend a…
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) September 18, 2025
"The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration."
