Throwback: When Tinubu condemned Obasanjo for suspending governors

The recent decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has sparked widespread debate among Nigerians, with many questioning its constitutionality.

While President Bola Tinubu’s move appears unprecedented to some, it is not the first time a sitting Nigerian president has declared a state of emergency and suspended a state governor.

Interestingly, Tinubu, who was serving as Lagos State Governor when a similar incident occurred in 2004, had criticized the move as illegal at the time.

The first instance of this phenomenon took place on a Tuesday in May 2004, during the second term of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The crisis began on May 2, when Muslims were killed in Yelwa, Plateau State, in what was described as a religious attack led by Christians of the Tarok tribe.

The incident triggered retaliatory killings of Christians by Muslims in Kano State, leading to a breakdown of law and order.

The Nigerian Red Cross reported that over 600 Muslims were killed by Christian militants armed with guns and machetes.

Prior to the May 2004 incident, Plateau State had witnessed violent clashes between Christians and Muslims since 2001, resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 people on both sides.

In response, Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State, ousted Governor Joshua Dariye, and accused him of failing to take decisive action to end the violence.

“It is unfortunate and illegal, this has to be discouraged. It is a bad precedent, what the president of the country has done, I pray it doesn’t stand,” Tinubu had said in a report publish by The Comet Newspaper.

Obasanjo also suspended the Plateau State legislature and appointed retired army general Chris Ali, an indigene of Plateau, as interim administrator for six months.

During a nationwide radio broadcast on May 18, 2004, Obasanjo criticized Dariye for his indecisiveness and alleged that his failure to intervene firmly had contributed to the Yelwa massacre.

He stated, “If anything, some of his utterances, his lackadaisical attitude, and seeming uneven-handedness over the contending issues present him as not just part of the problem, but also as an instigator and a threat to peace. I hereby declare a state of emergency in Plateau State.”

Stanley Bentu, spokesman for the Plateau State government, responded that Dariye had “accepted the decision” in good faith and did not even bother to go to his office.

However, critics questioned Obasanjo’s failure to declare a state of emergency in Kano State, where similar violence had occurred under Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.

Dariye traveled to the UK after his suspension and was arrested by British police in September 2004.

He was later released on bail and returned to Nigeria in November, resuming his position as governor after the six-month state of emergency elapsed.

Two years later, he faced an illegal impeachment proceeding led by six lawmakers in the state.

*Obasanjo Declares State of Emergency in Ekiti, Sacks Fayose
On October 19, 2006, Obasanjo once again invoked his executive powers, declaring a state of emergency in Ekiti State and sacking Governor Ayo Fayose.

The impeachment proceedings against Fayose, initiated by the state assembly, were based on allegations of corruption, diversion of state funds, and receipt of kickbacks.

The assembly succeeded in removing Fayose, Deputy Governor Abiodun Olujimi, and Chief Judge Kayode Bamisile.

They installed Friday Aderemi, Speaker of the House of Assembly, as governor.

Obasanjo, however, described the impeachment as illegal, stating, “It is a clear case of usurpation of power. It is dangerous for our democracy to allow this flagrant violation.”

Fayose was not the only governor accused of corruption at the time.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was investigating 31 governors across Nigeria for various corruption cases ahead of the April 2007 general election.

Since Obasanjo left office in 2007, no other president has invoked Section 305 Subsection 3 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) until President Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

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