Former Nigeria President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has criticized the decision of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State describing it as a clear misuse of power by the executive, legislature and judiciary.
He made this known while speaking at the annual colloquium organized by the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja on Saturday.
President Jonathan revealed that the political crisis in Rivers following Tinubu’s decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and state lawmakers for six months has called for people to seek his opinion on the matter.
He acknowledged that former presidents usually choose to refrain from commenting on the actions of their successors to maintain political stability but explained that said he felt compelled to address the issue.
He referenced an Indian proverb to illustrate his point:
“If someone is truly asleep, you can wake them up. But if they’re pretending to sleep, it’s much harder.
Jonathan added that the federal authorities are aware of the right steps to take and what to do but choose to abuse their powers to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.
“Those in charge of Nigeria’s executive, legislative, and judicial arms understand what is right but deliberately ignored it. This is a blatant abuse of power across all three branches of government. They are pretending not to see the injustice, making it even more difficult to correct.”
Jonathan’s remarks joined the list of prominent Nigerians who have criticized the decision of the federal government to suspend democratic rule in Rivers state and appointing a military sole administrator who will oversee the affairs of the oil-rich state for a period of six months.
