The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s failure to intervene in the legality of the six-month state of emergency imposed in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The statement comes as Governor Siminalaye Fubara prepares to resume office following the termination of the emergency.
Chief Peter Ameh, CUPP’s national secretary, welcomed the end of the emergency but described the declaration as “an egregious act of federal overreach and a direct assault on Nigeria’s democratic principles.”
He said the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case filed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors challenging the emergency “allowed an illegal act to persist, exposing the Court’s complicity in prioritising political interests over the rule of law. Such hypocrisy weakens the judiciary’s credibility and endangers Nigeria’s democratic foundation.”
CUPP also raised concerns about the impact of the emergency on governance in Rivers State.
“The six months stripped from Governor Fubara’s tenure and the state assembly’s operations cannot be reclaimed, representing a clear violation of constitutional provisions on elected terms. By assuming unchecked authority, President Tinubu has acted as a ‘Proclaimer General,’ threatening the democratic balance of our federation,” the group said.
The coalition maintained that the suspension of the governor, deputy governor, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly “over a political dispute was an unconstitutional power grab that never should have occurred.”
It argued that the action, taken without the request of elected state officials, undermined the mandate of Rivers State voters and “set a dangerous precedent for the erosion of state autonomy in Nigeria’s federation.”
CUPP further demanded transparency from the Presidency, including the legal memorandum justifying the emergency, a full accounting of the financial costs incurred, and a review of the rights violated during the period, insisting these must be published promptly.
The coalition urged all Nigerians, including political parties and civil society groups, to reject what it described as a dangerous precedent and to defend democratic governance.
CUPP said the will of the people, expressed through elections, “must remain sacrosanct” and warned that history will judge the episode as either “a fleeting misstep or the beginning of a slide toward authoritarianism,” calling on the government to recommit to constitutional principles and prevent similar overreach in the future.
