Emergency Rule: Jonathan reacts to suspension of Rivers governor and official
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has criticized the recent suspension of elected officials in Rivers State, warning that such actions could tarnish the country’s reputation.
Jonathan’s comments come after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025, citing political and security instability.
The decision also involved the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state’s House of Assembly.
The National Assembly later ratified the president’s decision with a voice vote.
Jonathan, speaking at the annual colloquium organized by the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja, expressed concern over what he described as the misuse of authority by all three branches of government.
According to Jonathan, the suspension of Fubara and his team represents a clear abuse of power.
“As a former president and also from the Niger Delta, when the issue of suspending the governor of Rivers State came up, I think people called on me, President Jonathan, and ex-President Obasanjo to say something,” Jonathan said.
“People expected us to say something about what was happening. But traditionally, all over the world, former presidents hardly make statements about what the current presidents are doing because of the tension it could create in the country.”
“What is happening in Nigeria today regarding the situation in Rivers state is like an Indian proverb that says: ‘If somebody is sleeping, really sleeping, you can easily wake up that person. But if that person is pretending to sleep, you (will) find it difficult to wake up that person.
“The key actors in Nigeria, from the executive to the legislature, judiciary and the Senate and the judiciary… they know the correct thing to do. But they are refusing to do it.
“They are pretending to sleep and waking such a person is extremely difficult because the person knows the right thing. A clear abuse of office and clear abuse of power cutting across from the three arms of government — from the executive to the parliament and the judiciary.”
Jonathan emphasized that the actions taken by those in power will have lasting consequences, urging politicians to recognize their collective responsibility in governance.
