Nigeria is facing an escalating political crisis as President Bola Tinubu declares a state of emergency in the oil-rich river state and suspends state legislators and all members of Congress for six months.
Tinubu said in a national broadcast Tuesday night that he received “an unsettling security report detailing some incidents of militants damaging pipelines without the governor taking any measures to cut their actions”.
He added that he did not allow the “severe situation” to continue.
But lawyers and opposition politicians are questioning the legitimacy of the president’s decision.
Tinubu announced one of the country’s highest-producing crude oil pipelines, the Trans-Niger Pipeline, which caused significant damage due to the explosion.
In the past, attacks on pipelines were carried out by criminal gangs or militants, with production and exports ceased.
At current prices, oil flowing through affected pipelines is charged about $14 million (£11 million) per day, according to a report from the African Online Publication.
But against the backdrop of the explosion, there was already a political rift in the River State that reached its boiling point.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), plagued by reports in the fight. At the national level, PDP is the main political party against all the President’s progress conferences.
Tenub said politicians were unable to work together effectively due to ongoing turmoil. He claimed that Forbala’s allies threatened “fire and sulphur” against the governor’s enemies, but did not “reject” these comments.
Rivers State lawmakers have threatened to impeach the governor and his deputy, according to Reuters.
The political crisis put Rivers in a “stagnation” state, Tinub said, adding that the latest measure is based on the need to restore peace and order in the country.
A state of emergency will allow the government to operate temporarily and send security forces if needed.
But many groups see Tinubu’s behavior as harsh.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said the removal was “unconstitutional” to remove the elected governor, lieutenant governor or member of the state legislature.
The PDP rejected the emergency rules, calling it an attempt to “state capture.” It accuses Tinubu of trying to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
It said: “It was a climax of a plot full of forced takeover of River State.”
Peter Obi, a former Labour presidential candidate, criticized what he called “reck” on X.
This is not the first time that Nigeria has declared a state of emergency. The former president has taken lawsuits to curb insurgency and instability in different parts of the country.
Other reports by Nkechi Ogbonna
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