Kenneth Okonkwo Criticizes Tinubu’s State of Emergency in Rivers, Calls It a Power Grab

Kenneth Okonkwo Criticizes Tinubu’s State of Emergency in Rivers, Calls It a Power Grab

Nollywood actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as unconstitutional and a strategy to seize control from the opposition………READ MORE

Tinubu had announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months in a nationwide broadcast on March 18, 2025.

Reacting via a statement on his social media, Okonkwo compared the move to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2013 declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa to combat Boko Haram. He noted that Jonathan did not remove the governors, arguing that Tinubu’s action was a misuse of power.

He further criticized the President for blaming Fubara for security failures, stating that law enforcement is under federal jurisdiction. Okonkwo called on the National Assembly to reject the suspension, emphasizing that the crisis in Rivers State is a political struggle rather than an emergency.

According to him, “This is an attempt to forcefully take Rivers State from the opposition and hand it over to Tinubu’s allies. If the President was fair, he would have included members of his cabinet who are also involved in the crisis.”

He urged Nigerians to resist what he described as an attack on democracy, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent for governance in the country.