NGF Remain Silent On Rivers’ Emergency Rule As PDP Governors Head To Court

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has yet to comment on the recent developments regarding the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu.

Naija News reports that the chairman of the Forum, Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State is yet to issues any statement on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Efforts by Daily Trust to reach NGF’s Director-General, Lateef Shittu, for comment have been unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or a WhatsApp message sent by a reporter seeking his views on the matter.

Meanwhile, governors elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged to challenge the suspension of their colleague in court.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara, in his response, stated that he would confront the situation with “wisdom, patience, and unwavering faith in the democratic process.”

In a statement issued on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who also chairs the forum, expressed strong disapproval of Tinubu’s decision to suspend Fubara. The forum called on President Tinubu to acknowledge his mistake and reverse the decision.

The PDP governors criticized President Tinubu for siding with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who they claimed played an active role in the political impasse in Rivers State.

“We stand in solidarity with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the good people of Rivers State at this very difficult and trying moment of the state’s political history. There is no other time that our philosophy of ‘TOUCH ONE, TOUCH ALL’ is more apt than now,” the statement read.

The forum accused President Tinubu of failing to address the involvement of Minister Wike in the crisis, labeling the president’s silence as “golden and enabling.”

The PDP governors further condemned the decision as “unstatesmanlike, biased, and divisive,” stating that the move represents a significant threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

The governors argued that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State would exacerbate existing crises, deepen mistrust, elevate security threats, and destabilize the economy and national cohesion.

In alignment with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the PDP governors called for a judicial review of Section 305(3) of the Constitution and rejected the action as authoritarian.

They urged President Tinubu to reconsider his decision and reverse it before further harm is done.

“Mr. President is therefore called upon to listen to wise counsel and the voice of reason, as well as accept that he made grievous mistakes and acted in haste, and reverse this atrocious and retrograde decision before it is too late,” the PDP Governors’ Forum concluded.