In a scathing statement, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing the move as steeped in political manipulation and bad faith.

“Atiku said, ‘The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State reeks of political manipulation and outright bad faith,’” a source noted from his public remarks. Atiku asserted that anyone following the crisis in Rivers would recognize Tinubu as a “vested partisan actor” whose calculated negligence has allowed the turmoil to escalate. He charged that Tinubu’s failure to prevent the political and security crises in the state is “nothing short of disgraceful.”

The former vice president further emphasized that the widespread security breaches, which led to the destruction of national infrastructure in Rivers, ultimately fall on the President’s shoulders. “Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent,” Atiku said.

Atiku decried what he described as an “unforgivable failure” under Tinubu’s leadership, arguing that the Niger Delta has been thrust back into a period of violent unrest and instability—reversing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. “Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations,” he added.

Moreover, Atiku warned that if federal infrastructure in Rivers State is compromised, the President bears full responsibility. He argued that using the state’s people as pawns in political games between the governor and federal enablers is an “assault on democracy” that must be condemned in the strongest terms.

Atiku’s remarks come as criticism mounts over the handling of the crisis in Rivers State, with growing concerns that political interests may be undermining efforts to restore stability and safeguard national assets in the region.