PANDEF rejects emergency rule, accuses Tinubu of betrayal

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has  condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state.

In a communique issued after an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the group said the proclamation is a “betrayal” of the Niger Delta people and an “unprecedented assault on democracy”.

PANDEF described the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara, the state governor, his deputy, and the house of assembly as “unconstitutional” and “politically motivated”.

PANDEF accused the federal government of escalating political tensions rather than fostering peace, despite previous commitments to resolving the crisis in Rivers state.

The forum expressed shock that the president made this move barely a week after hosting a high-level delegation of south-south leaders at the State House.

The delegation, comprising traditional rulers, former governors, and other top dignitaries, were assured of Tinubu’s support for PANDEF’s peace and reconciliation efforts in Rivers.

PANDEF also faulted the role of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), in the crisis, accusing him of undermining peace efforts in the state.

The group highlighted how, shortly after the south-south delegation’s visit to the President, Wike “publicly insulted” PANDEF and its leaders “without any rebuke from the presidency”.

The group further questioned why a state of emergency was necessary when many states across Nigeria, especially in the north, experience security crises without such drastic measures.

PANDEF also raised concerns about the timing of the move, pointing out that Fubara had already taken steps to comply with a supreme court ruling regarding the 2025 budget before the emergency was declared.

“This declaration of a state of emergency totally negates the avowed positions of President Tinubu, as was widely publicised during his interventions in May 2013 when former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa at the height of Boko Haram insurgency—even without removing governors,” the communique reads.

“Many Nigerian states, particularly in the North East, North West, and North Central geopolitical zones, live with daily assaults on their very existence. Yet, no state of emergency has been declared.

“PANDEF, as a respectable body of very senior and eminent citizens of this country representing the interest of the people of the South-South, will continue to sue for peace and work with all sides and the Federal Government towards its attainment in Rivers State and the entire South-South zone.”

The communiqué was signed by prominent Niger Delta leaders, including Alfred Diete-Spiff, Obong Victor Attah, Godknows Igali, and Obiuwevbi Ominimini.