2027: Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai, Others Lead Coalition Against Tinubu 

• Demand immediate reversal of declaration of state of emergency in Rivers 

• Accuse FG of manufacturing crisis to take over state

• Ask N’Assembly to stop power grabbing in Rivers

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Ahead of the 2027 general election, a coalition of opposition leaders led by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi; former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; and former National Vice-Chairman North-West of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have resolved to work together to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party.

The coming together of the aggrieved members of the ruling APC, elements from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as well as the LP was similar to what was witnessed in 2013, which subsequently metamorphosed into the APC.

The coming into being of the APC nailed the coffin of the then ruling party, the PDP.

However, addressing a press conference on behalf of the opposition leaders on Thursday in Abuja, Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State.

He said the recent events in Rivers State prompted the opposition leaders to come together to address the dangerous and unconstitutional actions taken by Tinubu on Tuesday with the “illegal suspension” of the democratically elected governor, deputy governor, and the state House of Assembly.

Atiku added that this action was not only unlawful but also a clear subversion of democracy and imposition of autocratic federal control over a duly elected state government. 

He stated: “We strongly condemn this development and call on all Nigerians of good conscience to resist this brazen assault on the constitution of our country and the institutions of our democracy.”

The former vice-president said the illegal and unconstitutional proclamation was presumably driven by the protracted insidious political crisis in Rivers State, which culminated in the recent ruling of the Supreme Court. 

Atiku noted that the opposition leaders expected all parties to the dispute to follow laid-down procedures, and in good faith, to promptly implement the judgment of the highest court of the land. 

According to him, “We note that despite provocative statements and belligerent attitude of his opponents, Governor Fubara had demonstrated goodwill and appeared disposed to the implementation of the ruling of the Supreme Court.”

Atiku stressed that rather than rise above the fray, the president yielded to petty favouritism and betrayed the oath that he solemnly swore to before God and man, which was to “do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will”.

Atiku emphasised that if Tinubu had conveniently disguised his true intentions in the past, his broadcast to the nation on March 18, 2025 betrayed his bias and fell far below the standard of comportment expected from his exalted office.

Atiku said: “Without any doubts, the Nigerian Constitution does not empower the president to remove an elected governor, deputy governor or state Assembly under any circumstances. 

“The procedure for removing a governor is clearly outlined in Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) through an impeachment process initiated by the state House of Assembly-not by presidential proclamation or arbitrary pronouncement.

“Section 305 of the Constitution allows the president to declare a state of emergency only in extreme cases where public safety, national security, or Nigeria’s sovereignty is at serious risk. 

“However, it does not grant him the power to suspend elected officials or to demolish democratic structures as he has brazenly done.”

Atiku further explained that Section 305(1) states that any proclamation of emergency is subject to the provisions of the constitution, saying it cannot override the tenure and removal procedures of a governor.

He was of the opinion that Section 305 relied on by Tinubu failed to meet constitutional requirements for emergency rule, which included: War or external aggression, breakdown of public order and safety; natural disasters or any other grave emergency threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Atiku said none of these conditions exist in current circumstances in the state, maintaining that there was no war, no widespread violence, and no breakdown of law and order warranting emergency declaration.

Atiku explained that even if an emergency declaration were valid (which it is not), it would still require a two-thirds majority approval of all members of the National Assembly — that is, at least, 72 senators and 240 members of the House of Representatives. 

“If this approval is not secured, the proclamation must automatically cease to have effect,” he insisted.

Atiku decried that alternative legal avenues were ignored by the president, adding that if the issue was the dysfunction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the president could have encouraged the National Assembly to intervene under Section 11 of the Constitution. 

He said however, even under such an intervention, the governor and deputy governor cannot be removed by any arm of government except through constitutional means, as the proviso to Section 11(4) clearly provides.

Atiku categorically stated that the declaration of a state of emergency was not about security, but “about power grabbing and control”.

He said: ” The disagreements within Rivers State stem from the defection of 27 Assembly members from the PDP to the APC, their loss of seats under constitutional provisions, and the subsequent political manoeuvring to undermine the governor’s mandate.”

The opposition leaders pointed out that rather than allowing the law to take its course, the Federal Government has engineered a crisis to justify this obviously premeditated and brazenly cynical unconstitutional action. 

Atiku noted that they found the Federal Government’s excuse of pipeline vandalism quite untenable and even laughable. 

He said the security of national infrastructure falls squarely under the responsibilities of federal security agencies and privately contracted security firms. 

To this end, the opposition leaders therefore demanded the immediate reversal of the state of emergency declared in Rivers State.

According to Atiku, “We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately revoke this unconstitutional proclamation and reinstate the elected governor, deputy governor, and state Assembly of Rivers State.

“We call on patriotic senators and representatives to vote against this illegal action when it comes before them for approval. The National Assembly must stand on the right side of history and not allow itself to be used to legitimise an unconstitutional power grab.

“We urge the judiciary to act swiftly in striking down this proclamation, as it sets a dangerous precedent that could be used to arbitrarily remove any governor in the future.”

The opposition leaders also called on all civil society organisations, political groups and Nigerians of good conscience to stand firm in the defence of this democracy that they have all toiled to build.

They added that Rivers State is not a conquered territory, and Nigeria is not a dictatorship requiring the replacement of an elected governor with a military administrator.

They recalled that when a previous administration had declared a state of emergency in parts of the country bedevilled by insurgency and acts of terrorism, the governors of the concerned states were not removed from office as this administration has done, saying this action by Tinubu, therefore represented a new low for the country.

Atiku stated:  “This Federal Government should not manufacture political crises that could disrupt the fragile stability and return the country to the past that we have all prayed to leave behind for good.

“We must never allow personal political interests and the desire to hold on to power at all costs to throw the country into unavoidable chaos through brazen subversion of the principles of federalism, democracy and constitutional governance. This is not just about Rivers State it is about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”

While fielding questions from journalists, Atiku added that he didn’t think the reversal of the state of emergency declared in Rivers was  too late, adding that they have also reached out to lawmakers in the National Assembly on the issue.

Asked if the coalition is the birth of a major opposition to challenge APC, Atiku answered in affirmative, “Yes.”

Also speaking, El-Rufai said what Tinubu had done was “violently unconstitutional and unlawful”.

When reminded that the Obasanjo administration which Atiku and El-Rufai were part of also removed the governors of Plateau and Ekiti States, El-Rufai said: “It is true that in those cases, the governors were suspended. The suspensions were challenged in the court and in 2006, the Supreme Court of Nigeria gave a judgment clearly stating that…even though, by then, they have been restored to office, that under no circumstances…

“That the emergency provisions, Section 305 might be used, that is the law. The Supreme Court has spoken, no legislation or constitutional amendment has changed that. 

“No person, no authority can remove an elected official, whether governor, deputy governor, or member of the legislature, without going through the due process of law. 

“In the case of the governor by impeachment, in the case of legislators, through recall. Those are the only ways you can remove an elected person. You cannot tamper with the mandate under Section 305 of the constitution. The Supreme Court has spoken and it is very clear.

“Our hope is that the National Assembly will, for once, that the National Assembly that everyone accuses of being a rubber stamp will at least, for once, stand with the people of Nigeria.”

The opposition leaders at the event are: Babachir Lawal, Nasir El-Rufai, Segun Sowunmi, Soni Monidafe, Dr. Salihu Lukman, Peter Amen, Atiku Abubakar, Tanko Yinusa who represented Peter Obi, and Adamu Waziri, among others.