Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of fueling the political and security crisis in Rivers State, which he says has led to renewed militancy and multiple pipeline explosions across the Niger Delta.
Recall that Rivers and Bayelsa State witnessed three suspected attacks on oil facilities last Tuesday, with the first explosion recorded on the Shell’s operated Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo, Oando facility in Obrikom, Onelga as well as in Gbaran, Yenegoa LGA of Bayelsa State.
While the cause of the explosions remains unclear, fears are mounting over potential links to the political crisis, with concerns that militants could be leveraging the instability to stage attacks.
The explosion in Bayelsa coincided with Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast announcing the state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly.
The President cited the prolonged political crisis in Rivers as the reason for the drastic action, appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) as the sole administrator to take charge of the state.
Reacting, the former Vice President linked the ongoing political turmoil to security breaches that have resulted in the destruction of vital oil infrastructure.
Atiku, in a strongly worded statement, described Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers as a “political manipulation” and “outright bad faith.”
He accused Tinubu of partisan interference in the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers, alleging that the President’s “blatant refusal or calculated negligence” to prevent the crisis has fueled insecurity and unrest.
“Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers. His blatant refusal — or calculated negligence — in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.”
The former Vice President further linked the series of pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta to Tinubu’s failure to maintain peace in the region, accusing him of undoing the hard-won stability secured under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability. Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.”
Atiku insisted that Tinubu bears full responsibility for any damage to federal infrastructure in Rivers, warning that the people of the state should not be punished for political battles between the governor and Tinubu’s allies.
“Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he said.
The state of emergency, which led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly members, has further deepened political tensions in the state.
The President today met with the newly appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the new administrator of Rivers State, amid the crisis.
Meanwhile, security concerns in the Niger Delta are mounting following multiple pipeline explosions in Rivers and Bayelsa State within one day. Authorities are yet to determine if these incidents are linked to political tensions or acts of sabotage.
