Legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma has criticised Nigerian politicians, insisting they failed to learn from the Rivers crisis and the suspension of democracy.
Oshoma spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, shortly after President Bola Tinubu ended the Tinubu emergency rule and announced Fubara reinstatement in Rivers State.
He said the return of Governor Siminalayi Fubara should have taught political leaders lessons about democratic accountability and governance. However, according to him, political actors appear more interested in power struggles than genuine reforms.
“I do not think the politicians have learnt anything,” Oshoma said. “We saw it play out in a PDP state because one former governor had divided loyalties between PDP and APC, which made the crisis easier to exploit.”
Tinubu had suspended Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on March 18, 2025. He cited constitutional paralysis and political infighting that crippled governance. In response, he appointed retired Navy Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas to oversee the state for six months.
Oshoma faulted the decision, arguing that Tinubu should have allowed Fubara to remain in office while deploying security forces to stabilise Rivers. He stressed that suspending a democratically elected governor undermined constitutional authority and voters’ mandate.
“The President can declare a state of emergency without sacking an elected government. Security agencies like the police, DSS, or army could have restored order,” he added.
He also accused Tinubu of double standards, noting that insecurity persists in several APC-controlled states in the North West and North Central, yet no emergency rule was declared in those areas.
Oshoma urged Nigerians to demand stronger democratic institutions that prioritise governance over political rivalries. According to him, the Rivers crisis exposed deep flaws in Nigeria’s democracy and the dangers of unchecked executive power.
