The federal government has defended the declaration of a state of emergency on River state, saying it was timely and meant to avert an implosion in the state.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, stated this at a briefing with State House Correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday in Abuja.
The minister said, “We have about two years into the administration in the state.
“Now, when do you think President Tinubu should have come in?
“Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so.
“I think the President has acted timeously. He has given the opportunity to all the parties involved to make amends. “Before then, he had to assemble them, and he had tried to mediate”.
The President had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
According to Fagbemi, Fubara failed to restrain militants from vandalising pipelines.
In a national broadcast, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.
The crisis, which had paralysed governance in the oil-rich state, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
