President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing sharp criticism over a reported decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, with former presidential adviser and APC chieftain, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, warning that such a move could trigger a national crisis.
In a strongly worded statement shared late Monday evening, Ojudu described the alleged declaration as “alarming,” questioning the judgment of those advising the President. “Who advised the President to take this course of action?” he asked. “They are certainly not a friend of his administration, nor do they have the best interests of Nigeria at heart.”
The news, which has yet to be officially confirmed by the Presidency, comes amid a tense political standoff in Rivers State, where a prolonged power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has deeply fractured the state’s political landscape.
Ojudu criticized the federal response to the crisis, saying, “This is a simple political dispute that requires a simple solution. Call the two gladiators, sit them down, and read them the riot act. One of them, after all, is your own appointee.”
He warned that federal intervention through a state of emergency would inflame tensions and jeopardize hard-won peace and economic recovery in the oil-rich Niger Delta. “The Tinubu I once knew would not have made such a reckless and unnecessary decision,” he lamented.
Economic Flashpoint
Drawing parallels to the economic downturns experienced during President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, Ojudu emphasized the dire consequences of political instability in the Niger Delta.
“Does the President realize that the Niger Delta crisis twice pushed Nigeria into recession under President Buhari?” he said. “At one point, Nigeria’s oil production collapsed to below 400,000 barrels per day from 2.5 million—a catastrophic drop caused by political mismanagement
