The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State in the 2023 election, Tony Cole, has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in the state.

Cole stated that the declaration meant that everyone from Rivers State occupying political offices at both the federal and state levels should also step down.

As DAILY POST reported on Tuesday evening, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State during a nationwide broadcast.

The president said he was “greatly disturbed about the political crisis” in the state and accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of demolishing the State House of Assembly building.

Tinubu said that after evaluating the situation, he had decided to “declare a state of emergency from March 18”.

Cole noted that the president faces a very difficult decision regarding the political situation, adding that declaring a state of emergency in the state is a challenging decision for Fubara.

However, he said the necessary political steps to resolve the crisis have yet to be taken, warning that without these actions, the conflict will persist.

He told Channels Television, “Everybody who is a political actor at the federal level should step down. Everybody who is a political actor at the state level should step down. A very hard decision has to be made by the president on the political side.”