Arise TV anchor Rufai Oseni has called out the Supreme Court for delaying judgment on the legality of the state of emergency and sole administrator imposed in Rivers State, warning it poses grave dangers to Nigeria’s democracy.

Speaking on The Morning Show yesterday, Oseni said:
“When the story of democracy is written in this country, we will ask questions about what the court did. Why has the Supreme Court not heard the case filed by PDP governors against the state of emergency and sole administrator? Do they want to delay it until the six months expire?”

He warned the delay could embolden future presidents to misuse emergency powers for political gain.

Oseni linked the crisis to the upcoming local government elections, pointing out that Rivers’ electoral laws require a 90-day notice and a legally constituted RSIEC—conditions he said were ignored. State elders, he noted, have also raised concerns about a “constitutional crisis.”

Turning to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Oseni accused him of hypocrisy:
“Did Wike ignore elections that didn’t favour him in the past? He went to court then. Why dismiss the crisis now?”

He alleged the emergency rule was designed to strengthen Wike’s grip on Rivers politics:
“Wike already controls the state assembly. Once the emergency ends, he will seize the local governments, leaving Governor Fubara powerless within his own political structure.”

Oseni concluded that the judiciary’s silence risks eroding democratic foundations in Nigeria.