Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 General Election, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that he reached out to a former Governor of Rivers State, Rufus Ada-George, to help persuade federal lawmakers from Rivers State to vote against the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

The former Vice President stated this on his Facebook page on Thursday, shortly after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favour of President Bola Tinubu’s request for a state of emergency in the state.

He, however, did not disclose whether he received a positive response from the elder statesman.

Abubakar said: “Immediately I left the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, where we had addressed a joint press conference of the Coalition of Opposition Political Parties, in which we called for President Tinubu to reverse the declaration of a state of emergency rule in Rivers State, I spoke to a former Governor of Rivers, His Excellency Chief Rufus Ada-George.

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“At the time we spoke, Ada-George was presiding over a meeting of the Rivers Elders and Leaders Forum.

“I impressed on him the need for them to reach out to the lawmakers from the region to vote against the proclamation of state of emergency rule in Rivers State.”

The Senate echoed the same sentiment, approving the request with an overwhelming voice vote following a closed-door session.