Fubara: ‘Democracy Has Been Knocked’ Down Under Tinubu – Peter Obi

Peter Obi says ‘democracy has been knocked in Nigeria’ under Tinubu.

Newsone Nigeria reports that Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has criticized the state of democracy in Nigeria, saying it has been “knocked down” following the suspension of Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, southeast Nigeria, made this known on Monday, March 24, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, during a colloquium held in honour of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, who was celebrating his 60th birthday.

Newsone recalls that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State last Tuesday over the prolonged political crisis and vandalism of oil facilities. He suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all House of Assembly members for six months, appointing retired Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the state’s sole administrator.

When asked why he believed democracy in Nigeria was failing, Obi explained: “Well, if you look at what Bishop Kukah said, he said it’s work in progress. Let me follow my brother when he said about 1999. If you look at where we are today, they started in 1999, laid the foundation. Some people came and took it to a decking, and some people were trying to raise it to the first floor.

“And some people came and knocked everything down. That’s the situation we are in now. Everything has been knocked down. Nothing works.”

Citing his experience, Obi recalled becoming Anambra State governor through the courts without any interference.

“I became a governor through the courts when President Obasanjo and Atiku were in government. I did not pay the court one naira. I was sitting in my house in the office and the court declared me winner. When a governor isn’t hosting them, it can’t happen in Nigeria today.

“When I was being impeached, the president sent people to intervene on my behalf. Ken Nnamani came, begging house people not to impeach me. Today, the president impeaches the person. So that is the thing. So it’s collapsed. So it’s failed. They were begging my house not to impeach me. And they were at PDP. I was in APGA. And they were begging.

“President was calling me and said, Peter, are you okay? Even when I was impeached, President Obasanjo called me and said, are you okay? Are you safe? When I got back from the court, when court eventually declared me under Andy Uba, President Yar’Adua called my phone in London and said, congrats. I said, President, can’t come back because you know if I come back, this people—he said, tell me the flight in which you’re coming back. And I told him.

“When I came in the first time, military people came to receive me at the airport. I couldn’t believe it and took me straight to him. Now the president will ask me not to come back here again. So it failed. Let’s not talk about, let’s talk about how we are going to rebuild it. It’s collapsing,” he added.