Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, calling it a “grievous mistake” and an “atrocious and retrograde decision.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the PDP Governors’ Forum urged Tinubu to immediately reverse the suspension, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent and undermines Nigeria’s democratic order.
“The suspension of Governor Fubara is an unprecedented violation of democratic norms,” the forum stated. “This is not just about Rivers State; it is about protecting the sanctity of our electoral system and ensuring that no sitting President, present or future, can arbitrarily remove a duly elected state governor.”
The PDP governors insisted that Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers was unnecessary, as there was no justification under the Constitution for removing a governor under such circumstances.
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Political tensions have been running high in Rivers State, with deep divisions between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. However, opposition voices argue that the crisis should be resolved through democratic and legal means rather than executive fiat.
The PDP Governors’ Forum warned that allowing Fubara’s suspension to stand could erode Nigeria’s federal structure and embolden future administrations to impose emergency rule in states controlled by opposition parties.
As reactions continue to pour in, legal experts, civil society organizations, and political observers are closely watching how the federal government will respond to the growing pushback against Tinubu’s move in Rivers State.