The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State, calling it a betrayal of the Niger Delta region.

The group expressed its outrage in a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting of its Board of Trustees and expanded National Executive Committee in Abuja on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

The emergency meeting was convened in response to President Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor, Deputy Governor, and the House of Assembly on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. PANDEF described the move as “shocking” and “widely condemned by most Nigerians.”

According to PANDEF, the declaration of a State of Emergency comes just days after President Tinubu hosted a high-level South-South delegation that included traditional rulers, former governors, and ex-service chiefs. During that meeting, Tinubu had reportedly commended PANDEF’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee for its mediation efforts in the Rivers political crisis and encouraged them to continue their work.

Despite the President’s assurances, PANDEF highlighted several troubling developments leading up to the emergency declaration:

On March 12, 2025, just a day after the delegation’s visit, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, whom PANDEF accuses of fueling the political crisis in Rivers State, made “derogatory remarks” against the group and Niger Delta leaders. Tinubu has not reprimanded Wike despite public outrage.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara had expressed his willingness to present the 2025 budget in line with a Supreme Court judgment and the President’s directive. However, the Rivers State House of Assembly abruptly went on indefinite adjournment on March 14 and later initiated impeachment proceedings against the Governor and his Deputy.

On March 17, PANDEF formally wrote to President Tinubu expressing concerns over the obstruction of the budget presentation by the FCT Minister and the House of Assembly.

On March 18, just a day before the Governor was scheduled to present the budget, Tinubu declared a State of Emergency, effectively removing the elected state leadership.

PANDEF recalled that in May 2013, Tinubu had strongly opposed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states during the height of Boko Haram insurgency. At the time, Tinubu had condemned the move as a “diabolic partisanship” meant to undermine democracy. PANDEF now questions why Tinubu would take even more drastic action against Rivers State, where the situation is far less dire than in the insurgency-ravaged North.



https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/suspension-of-fubara-others-tinubu-has-stabbed-niger-delta-in-the-back-pandef/