ABUJA, Nigeria — The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, stating that the move prevented a collapse of governance in the oil-rich state.
Fagbemi made the remarks during a press briefing on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, following widespread criticism of the President’s decision.
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
The President cited the vandalisation of oil pipelines and the prolonged political crisis as reasons for his action, appointing retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.
Fagbemi argued that Tinubu acted promptly to address the crisis, providing an opportunity for all parties involved to resolve their differences.
“The President has acted timeously. He has given opportunity to all the parties involved to make amends. Before then, he had tried to mediate,” Fagbemi said.
Responding to questions about the role of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in the crisis, Fagbemi stated that the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter did not implicate Wike.
“Was Wike the one who asked for the demolition of the House of Assembly? Was he the one who said the governor should not present his budget to the House of Assembly?” Fagbemi asked.
He added, “Because if you want to look at a case, you look at the facts that have been presented. The Supreme Court made these critical findings. FCT minister did not feature. Whatever the situation, assuming he featured, he would have featured, maybe on the side of the legislators. Yes, the legislators. But what you have here is let everybody go home for the first six months. So, I don’t see his hand here.”
Fagbemi also questioned whether Wike had advised the governor against presenting commissioner nominees to the House of Assembly for ratification, stating, “Was he the one who advised the governor not to go through the House of Assembly for purposes of ratifying the commissioner nominees? I don’t know.”
The AGF’s defence of Tinubu’s actions comes amid growing criticism from stakeholders, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who have described the emergency declaration as unconstitutional and an assault on democracy.
