Former Plateau State Governor and former Senator, Dr. Joshua Chibi Dariye, has fired back at PDP chieftain Chief Olabode George over comments linking the 2004 state of emergency in Plateau State to popular discontent with his administration.
Dariye, in a strongly-worded statement, dismissed George’s claims as “false, malicious and a calculated attempt to distort the facts,” insisting that the state of emergency declared by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo had nothing to do with any public agitation for his removal.
According to the former governor, no protests or calls for his ouster were recorded at the time. Rather, he alleged the emergency rule was a targeted political maneuver by forces whose interests were threatened during the Yelwa ethno-religious crisis.
“I wonder what justification Chief Olabode George is trying to adduce for my illegal suspension from office in the name of state of emergency. The elder statesman is being economical with the truth as there was not any protest whatsoever in Plateau State calling for the imposition of State of Emergency,” Dariye stated.
He further accused George of bias in his recent criticism of the state of emergency in Rivers State, linking the PDP stalwart’s stance to longstanding animosity toward President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“From his outburst, it’s very clear for the discerning to see that the old man does not like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that is why he is making such a biased analysis trying to fault the state of emergency imposed in Rivers State as unjustifiable,” Dariye remarked.
Expressing shock that a seasoned politician would “canvass such flawed and baseless comments,” the former Senator reminded the public that the 2004 decision by Obasanjo was widely condemned by human rights groups and the international community.
Dariye maintained that while he had personally moved on from the incident, public figures like Chief George had a responsibility not to mislead younger generations or misrepresent the nation’s history.
He urged the PDP leader to focus on the internal crises facing his party instead of “pock nosing in the affairs of the APC,” emphasizing the need for national unity and progress under President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.”
“People like Chief Olabode George… should not be feeding unsuspecting members of the public and posterity with falsehood thereby distorting history that would be bequeathed to the younger generations,” Dariye warned.
As the political temperature continues to rise across the country, Dariye’s comments add a new layer to the ongoing debate over the use and justification of emergency powers in Nigeria’s democratic landscape.