Emergency Rule: Atiku, opposition political leaders hold press conference in Abuja

Leading opposition figures will hold a press conference organised by the Coalition of Political Leaders in the country on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

According to an invitation signed by Salihu Lukman and sent to Neptune Prime, the press conference, “open to all patriots committed to Nigeria’s democratic development,” will be held at Meeting Room B, Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, by 10 am.

The press conference is related to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday.

The president had suspended the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all lawmakers in the state parliament for six months.

READ ALSO: Tinubu declares state of emergency in Rivers State, suspends Gov, Assembly members

President Tinubu further appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as the sole administrator of Rivers State and was sworn in by the president barely 24 hours after the state of emergency declaration.

According to Adamu Maina Waziri, former Minister of Police Affairs and a confidante of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), “the Wazirin Adamawa will be at the forefront and will lead many opposition figures to the conference.”

The former Vice President, many legal luminaries and opposition politicians have questioned the legality of the president’s decision.

READ ALSO: “Tinubu is partisan and wants control” – Atiku condemns state of emergency in Rivers

Atiku described the emergency rule declaration as “political manipulation in outright bad faith.”

He accused Tinubu of being a “vested partisan actor” in the ongoing political turmoil in the state, alleging that his administration either enabled or failed to prevent the crisis.

“His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful,” Atiku said in a statement on Tuesday via X.

Similarly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it was “unconstitutional” to remove an elected governor, deputy governor, or members of a state’s legislature.

The leading opposition party, PDP, equally rejected the emergency rule, calling it an attempt at “state capture”. It accused Tinubu of trying to turn Nigeria into a one-party country.

However, while many condemned the emergency rule, the Senate on Wednesday suspended its plenary and shifted debate on the emergency rule to Thursday.

READ ALSO: PDP rejects state of emergency in Rivers, suspension of Fubara

The debate was delayed till 3 pm without much explanation when the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, (APC Ekiti Central) who sponsored the motion, moved to step it down by citing Order 1(b) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended).

Two third of both chambers of the National Assembly have to ratify the emergency rule within 48 hours of it’s declaration for it to be binding.

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