The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, alleging that the move is an attempt to remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara under the guise of addressing recent pipeline attacks.
In a communiqué issued Wednesday following an emergency meeting of its Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee, PANDEF denounced the decision as a “betrayal” of the Niger Delta people and an attack on democratic governance.
The group dismissed Tinubu’s justification, arguing that pipeline attacks have occurred in other parts of the country without triggering emergency rule or military intervention. PANDEF insisted that the president’s actions were unjustified and aimed at imposing federal control over the oil-rich state.
