Professor Pat Utomi has urged the people of Rivers State to resist the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a coup against the people. He condemned the decision, stating that no one should govern the state without the people’s mandate.
President Tinubu’s announcement on Tuesday suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the House of Assembly, appointing Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as the state’s sole administrator for six months. Utomi criticized Tinubu for following a path he once opposed, recalling how he had previously condemned such actions under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Calling for non-violent resistance, Utomi urged Rivers residents to stand firm, warning that external forces might try to turn them against each other. He advised them to take lessons from historical figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and encouraged Nigerians to support Rivers people in defending democracy.