Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of undermining Nigeria’s democracy through the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
In a Thursday statement posted on his 𝕏 account, Obi described the emergency rule as a “misstep that should never have happened,” stressing that it represented a constitutional breach driven by selfish political interests.
“The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today,” Obi noted. “It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy for a long time.”
He added that true leadership lies in admitting mistakes, learning from them, and taking corrective measures, while warning that Nigeria risks repeating errors if lessons are ignored.
Obi congratulated Rivers residents for their endurance during the crisis and urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara, members of the State House of Assembly, and other political actors to prioritize peace and unity in the state.
“The real mistake is the one where we end up learning nothing,” he said, while reaffirming that “a new Nigeria is possible and inevitable.”
