“Mali, Burkina Faso Will Be Laughing at Spineless ECOWAS Chair Tinubu Declaring Military Rule in Rivers” — AAC

The African Action Congress (AAC) has fiercely criticised President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as a direct attack on democracy and a blatant power grab that undermines Nigeria’s constitutional order. In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Femi Adeyeye, the AAC condemned the move as “unpresidential,” “cowardly,” and “dangerous,” accusing Tinubu of staging a coup against the Nigerian people.

The opposition party said the declaration was not unexpected for those who have followed the administration’s trajectory, alleging it was part of a broader plot to erode democratic governance, particularly in Rivers State. The AAC accused Tinubu of acting in bad faith, arguing that his actions made a mockery of the judiciary, which had already deliberated on the political crisis in the state. “Tinubu, through this mindless declaration, has just told Nigerians that the courts are incapable of settling disputes and he has declared anarchy,” the statement read.

The AAC also drew attention to what it called Tinubu’s hypocrisy, pointing out that he had vocally opposed a similar declaration of emergency in northern states by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013. “The hypocrisy of Tinubu stinks. Only cowards behave in this backward manner,” the party stated.

In a particularly scathing remark, the AAC suggested that West African countries currently under military rule, including Mali and Burkina Faso, would find Tinubu’s actions laughable. “The ‘Boy Scouts’ in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso would be having a good laugh tonight as they read that the spineless ECOWAS Chair has declared military rule in one of the most important states in Nigeria,” the party said.

Blaming both Tinubu and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for escalating the political conflict in Rivers, the AAC claimed the duo had worsened an already volatile situation. It urged Nigerians to resist what it termed the imposition of military-style governance under a civilian administration, calling on citizens to stay alert and defend constitutional rule.

President Tinubu had announced the state of emergency in a national broadcast, citing rising insecurity, vandalism of oil infrastructure, and political instability. He suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months, appointing retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as Administrator of the state.

The deepening political crisis in Rivers stems from a power struggle between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, whose fallout with the governor has fractured the state’s political landscape. The conflict escalated after 27 pro-Wike lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), prompting legal battles over their seats and control of the state’s finances.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP accused the Supreme Court of bias in its ruling on the lawmakers’ defection, alleging that the court granted reliefs that were not sought, thereby deepening the state’s political turmoil.