The Governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform have vowed to contest the suspension of their colleague in court, citing President Tinubu’s handling of the matter as partial.
This move comes as the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has remained silent on the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu.
Neither the chairman of the Forum, Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State nor the Director-General of the forum, Lateef Shittu, has commented on the matter.
Although Governor Fubara, in his response, stated that he would confront the situation with “wisdom, patience, and unwavering faith in the democratic process,” the PDP governors are ready to head to court.
In a statement issued on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who also chairs the forum, expressed strong disapproval of Tinubu’s decision to suspend Fubara. The forum called on President Tinubu to acknowledge his mistake and reverse the decision.
The PDP governors criticized President Tinubu for siding with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who they claimed played an active role in the political impasse in Rivers State.
“We stand in solidarity with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the good people of Rivers State at this very difficult and trying moment of the state’s political history. There is no other time that our philosophy of ‘TOUCH ONE, TOUCH ALL’ is more apt than now,” the statement read.
The forum accused President Tinubu of failing to address the involvement of Minister Wike in the crisis, labeling the president’s silence as “golden and enabling.”
The PDP governors further condemned the decision as “unstatesmanlike, biased, and divisive,” stating that the move represents a significant threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
The governors argued that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State would exacerbate existing crises, deepen mistrust, elevate security threats, and destabilize the economy and national cohesion.
In alignment with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the PDP governors called for a judicial review of Section 305(3) of the Constitution and rejected the action as authoritarian.
They urged President Tinubu to reconsider his decision and reverse it before further harm is done.
“Mr. President is therefore called upon to listen to wise counsel and the voice of reason, as well as accept that he made grievous mistakes and acted in haste, and reverse this atrocious and retrograde decision before it is too late,” the PDP Governors’ Forum concluded.
