El-Rufai Criticizes Tinubu, Says Suspending Or Dismissing Fubara Is Beyond His Constitutional Duty

El-Rufai Criticizes Tinubu, Says Suspending Or Dismissing Fubara Is Beyond His Constitutional Duty

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to suspend Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.

In a nationwide address on Tuesday, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended all elected officials for an initial six-month period.

Reacting in a statement on Wednesday night, El-Rufai argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not grant the president the authority to suspend an elected governor. He described the move as a threat to democratic federalism and an overreach of executive power.

He acknowledged the security concerns in Rivers State but maintained that declaring an emergency should focus on empowering security agencies, not dismantling democratic institutions. Citing a Supreme Court ruling in the Dariye vs. Attorney General of the Federation case, he emphasized that the suspension of elected officials is unconstitutional.

El-Rufai urged Tinubu to reconsider his decision and uphold the principles of constitutionalism and the rule of law. He recalled how Tinubu, as an opposition leader, had criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan’s emergency rule in the North-East, which did not include suspending elected officials.

Warning against repeating historical mistakes, he called on Nigerians to oppose what he described as a “gross violation of the Constitution and disrespect for the rule of law.”