Atiku Fubara suspension reaction labels Tinubu’s move illegal, criticises lifting of governor’s suspension as nothing to celebrate, warns of dictatorship signs
Atiku Fubara suspension reaction has sparked fresh debate over the limits of executive power in Nigeria, as the former Vice-President has labelled the recent reinstatement of the Rivers State Governor and lawmakers as “nothing to cheer about.”
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Reacting via his official X handle on Thursday, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), condemned the initial six-month suspension imposed by President Bola Tinubu as unconstitutional and still illegal, despite being lifted.
“Lifting the suspension of Governor Simi Fubara is nothing to cheer about.
The suspension was unconstitutional when it was done six months ago and is still illegal today,” he wrote.
The controversial suspension, declared on March 18, 2025, followed escalating tensions between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and state lawmakers allied with Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the governor, deputy governor Ngozi Odu, and the entire State House of Assembly, while installing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as sole administrator, drew fierce backlash.
Many legal experts and opposition voices, including Atiku, slammed the move as a direct violation of the Nigerian Constitution, warning it set a dangerous precedent for executive overreach.
Though some praised Tinubu’s intervention as a “pragmatic response” to an intractable political crisis, critics viewed it as an abuse of federal power and an erosion of democratic principles.
Tinubu officially lifted the emergency rule on Wednesday, September 17, directing Fubara, his deputy, and the lawmakers to resume office the next day.
This came after Fubara held two private meetings with the President, as well as a public reconciliation with Wike.
However, Atiku remains unconvinced. He accused the administration of dictatorial tendencies, warning that such actions threaten the country’s democratic framework.
“The Rivers shenanigans only signpost the dictatorship of the Tinubu administration,” he added.
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The Atiku Fubara suspension reaction now adds fuel to the ongoing constitutional debate about the extent of presidential authority in state affairs.
