The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rivers State

  • Imagine Rivers State without a State of Emergency

    Imagine Rivers State without a State of Emergency

    By Bayo Onanuga

    Imagine a Rivers State where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hesitated to declare a state of emergency. The political standoff between the state House of Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara could have continued and degenerated into violence. Impeachment threats might have spurred attacks on lawmakers by the governor’s supporters, while militants in the creeks—primed to sabotage critical oil infrastructure—could have plunged Nigeria’s oil production back to pre-2023 lows. Sensational reporting of the crisis by journalists and opportunistic litigation would have inflamed tensions further, paralysing governance and risking lives. Schools and hospitals would shutter; investors would flee. We can only imagine the human and economic toll.

    Today, thanks to the president’s intervention, Rivers State can breathe again. Political tensions have eased, banal headlines have quietened, and stakeholders—encouraged by the newly-appointed administrator—are charting a path to lasting peace. Critics who argue the crisis “did not yet warrant” emergency rule ignore a stark truth: waiting for the breakdown of law and order to escalate into anarchy before acting is like withholding firefighters until a house burns to ashes.

    A responsible leader like President Tinubu, who swore an oath to protect the constitution and corporate existence of the country, cannot fail to act when a constituent part of the federation is careering towards the precipice. The political crisis in Rivers State between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the state House of Assembly who owe allegiance to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that blew open barely six months into the administration of the governor has degenerated by March 18. A chain of events since the war of attrition started 14 months ago among the combatants had indeed paralysed the government of Rivers State to the point where Fubara, copying from the bad book of former Governor Godwin Obaseki in Edo, emasculated an arm of government entirely. This reality informed the Supreme Court’s damning verdict about the absence of government in the state as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria, as amended. The court also excoriated Fubara for acting like a despot.

    Rivers was in a grave situation, as the combatants refused to allow reason to prevail, even after the Supreme Court judgment, before President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18. The president took action in the best interest of the people of the state, who had become victims of the warring politicians, the people they elected to serve them. President Tinubu needed to act. He chose prevention over cure.

    Read Also: Providus, Access, Wema, others compete for honour sat Nigeria SME Awards

    Section 305 of constitution empowers the president to act when the nation faces a breakdown of law, order, and economic security —precisely the case in Rivers, a bastion of Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy. Intelligence confirmed militants, told by Fubara to await signals, were already targeting pipelines, risking a collapse in output and a Niger-Delta domino effect. Historical precedents, such as the past emergencies in Plateau and Borno and the doctrine of necessity, support the president’s proactive measures to avert disaster. The president’s oath demands he must not fail in his sacred duty to safeguard national stability, not watch idly as partisan strife strangles our democracy and the material well-being of Nigerians, whose prosperity depends on the social and economic interdependence of every part of the country. Rivers State is a significant hydrocarbon economic artery in Nigeria, and any dislocation and politically motivated disruption of the oil industry in the state will have ripple effects on the national economy.

    Answering the critics

    Critics claim the emergency rule in Rivers undermines democracy. Their position misrepresents reality. The intervention is temporary, surgical, and aimed at restoring—not replacing—democratic institutions. The suspension of political actors for six months is no power grab; it is not a permanent removal but a reset to disarm warring factions. Notably, the same critics who assailed the president’s action for suspending the political actors remain silent on Governor Fubara’s refusal to collaborate with the legislature, exposing their partisan bias. Democracy cannot thrive amid lawlessness—anarchy is its antithesis.

    The appointed administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (Rtd.), has already convened a meeting with traditional leaders in the state as one of his first steps to forge lasting solutions. This intervention ensures Rivers’ people retain their democratic rights while shielding the Nigerian and Rivers State economies from collapse. It is worth repeating that President Tinubu acted within the law and his executive powers under the constitution until the Supreme Court says otherwise.

    President Tinubu and the National Assembly remain committed to lifting the emergency once stability returns and also ensuring elected officials resume their duties.

    The 18th-century English philosopher Edmund Burke once warned, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” President Tinubu chose courage over complacency. His action prioritised Nigeria’s interest over political expediency, averting a more profound crisis. To those who brand him a democrat turned “tyrant,” my response to them is simple:  Which democracy prospers in chaos? Rivers’ newfound calm vindicates President Tinubu’s resolve. He deserves commendation, not condemnation, not calumny for his statesmanship. Rivers and Nigeria are safer for it.

    •Onanuga is Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy.

  • Rivers emergency declaration: Tinubu upheld Constituion

    Rivers emergency declaration: Tinubu upheld Constituion

    •President acted in over riding national interest

    By Sunday Dare

    In times of harsh circumstance and imminent danger, a responsible and dedicated leader is forced into action to avert needless harm and destruction.This is true of the President of a nation or  a General in the midst of battle.

    We all know this as the true law of our political existence. Anyone who feigns ignorance of this fact does so not out of truth but in an attempt to foment further crisis. In times of urgent emergency, extraordinary measures can and  must be taken. If not, trouble turns into calamity. Normal becomes abnormality. That which is bad becomes even worse and less amenable to solution.

    In the case of Rivers state, turmoil and crisis had taken over. The rival stakeholders could not see their way toward resolution. Something had to be done before all became undone.

    In this case, President Tinubu stepped up as was his moral and legal obligation to do. In this case, the Constitution, the blueprint of our democracy spells out the options before the President in dire and emergency circumstances.  

    The declaration of a state of emergency on Rivers state for 6-months is well within the stated powers of the President. This is settled by the very wording of the constitution itself and backed by judicial precedents.

    Read Also: Leakage on PPMC pipeline causes explosion in Rivers – YEAC-Nigeria

    Since the declaration was made Nigerians have heard legal and political opinions and analyses of different shades. This discourse is healthy for our democracy but cannot substitute for the rule of law and the proper interpretation of our constitution. The frenzy by opponents of the President has hit a high pitch.  They have placed themselves in opposition to what the law says about the powers and authority of the President because they have previously placed themselves in political opposition to the President.

    The powers conferred on the President in this instance and the will to use it when the situation warrants are the difference between an indecisive leader and a courageous, committed one.

     The Supreme Court understands this and is very careful in instances such as this. According to Prof Kanyinsola Ajayi , we must recall what happened in 1962 in the case of FRA Williams and Majekodunmi on the removal of the Premier  of the Western Region.  

    Instructively, the Supreme Court said when it comes to matters of emergency the Courts are very cautious and reluctant to query what the President has done. They observed these are matters that are within the exclusive preserve of the President. This is because issues of public safely, pubic  order, national security and the aversion of calamity are not necessarily objective questions that the court can determine. 

    The Securitization theory posits that leaders must act when they perceive, recognize any  existential threat and during severe threat. 

    Securitization theory, developed by the Copenhagen School, posits that security is a social construct, not an objective reality.  

    The securitisation theory further posits that political issues are constituted as extreme security issues to be dealt with urgently when they have been labelled as ‘dangerous’, ‘menacing’, ‘threatening’, ‘alarming’ and so on by a ‘securitising actor’ who has the social and institutional power to move the issue ‘beyond politics’.

    The deteriorating situation in Rivers a state had become an existential threat to both democracy and national interest. Simplicita. The operative word here is Suspension not removal.  There is a 6- month window for the return to normalcy. It is in the  light below that we must understand that the most appropriate, timely and constitutional option available to Mr. President was the declaration of a state of emergency. Tanimu Y. et al captures it perfectly and I concur : 

    “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers State must be understood—not as a political manoeuvre, but as a constitutional necessity to prevent the descent into anarchy. His actions, in invoking Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, affirm the fundamental role of the presidency: not as a bystander to disorder but as the ultimate custodian of constitutional integrity and national “ 

    •Dare is the Special Adviser to Mr. President on Media and Public Communications

  • Ex-President Jonathan faults Rivers Emergency rule

    Ex-President Jonathan faults Rivers Emergency rule

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State as a clear case of abuse of office and power by the three arms of Government.

    Jonathan made this assertion  in his speech as chairman of the annual colloquium organised by the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja, with the theme: “Promoting social change and development through diversity, equity and inclusion.”

    Jonathan said: “As a former President and also from the Niger Delta, when the issue of suspending the Governor of Rivers State came up, I think people called on me, President Jonathan and ex-President Obasanjo to say something.  

    “People expected us to say something  about what is happening.  Of course, people don’t even know that traditionally all over the world,  former presidents hardly make statements about what the current presidents are doing because of the tension it could create in the country. 

    “In most cases, look at America, look at everywhere…So, for former presidents to make statements …and of course, what is happening in Nigeria today regarding the situation in Rivers State is like an Indian proverb that says that if somebody is sleeping, really sleeping, you can easily wake up that person.  

    “But if that person is pretending to sleep,  you find it difficult to wake up that person.

    “The key actors in Nigeria,  from the executive  to the legislature, judiciary and the Senate and others are here.  

    “And the judiciary, they know the correct thing to do. But they are refusing to do it. 

    “They are pretending to sleep and waking such a person is extremely difficult because the person knows the right thing, a clear abuse of office and clear abuse of power cutting across from the three arms of government, from the executive to the parliament and the judiciary. 

    “And I always plead with our people that whatever we do affects everybody and sometimes we do things and we think that it doesn’t affect us. 

    “Why is it that our passport is not valued that much? Why is  it that Nigerians are not given the kind of treatment we’re supposed to receive at international airports? 

    “Sometimes, we think it’s because of ‘yahoo’ boys or 419. Not only them, yes, they are part of the problem. But whatever happens in the country, decisions that are taken by the executive arm of government, decisions that are taken by the parliament and judicial decisions affect everybody.

    “For example, no businessman can bring his money to invest in a country where the judiciary is compromised, 

    where government functionaries can dictate to judges what judgment they will give. 

    “No man brings his money to invest in that economy because we are taking a big risk. So whatever we do affects everybody and if we want to build a nation where children are grandchildren will live, no matter how painful it is, we must strive to do what is right.

    It may cost us,  but we must  end the…and pay the price  to insist on doing what is right.

    “Whether you are holding an executive office as a president, a minister, or a governor, or a civil servant, an executive, whether you are holding an office in the parliament, Senate, or House of Representatives, whether you are a judicial officer at the High Courts or appellate courts, we must strive to do what is right. If we want to build a nation that our children would be proud of.

    “As we engage in these discussions, let us remember that promoting social change  is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. 

    “It requires our sustained commitment, collective action, and unwavering dedication to the values that promote good governance. 

    “Let us also recognise that social change is a shared responsibility,  one that requires the active participation and engagement of all stakeholders including civil society, the private sector and governments.”

  • Kudos, Mr. President on Rivers’ political logjam

    Kudos, Mr. President on Rivers’ political logjam

    Sir: The political inferno in Rivers State has finally been extinguished by the firm hand of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a move both decisive and controversial, he has declared a state of emergency, suspending Governor Siminalaiyi Fubara, his deputy, and entire lawmakers of the state House of Assembly.

    To fill the power vacuum, he has appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator, tasked with restoring order to a state that has teetered on the edge of anarchy for over a year.

    The crisis, a festering wound in Nigeria’s democratic fabric, began in December 2023 when Governor Fubara took the unprecedented step of demolishing the state House of Assembly complex. That singular act was more than a symbolic gesture.

    It was an assault on the very architecture of constitutional governance, reducing the state legislature to rubble in both form and function. What followed was a bitter standoff between the governor and pro-Wike lawmakers, a battle for supremacy that defied every attempt at reconciliation.

    President Tinubu himself waded into the murky waters, seeking a resolution through dialogue, but his efforts, like those of other well-meaning stakeholders, were met with intransigence. Then came the Supreme Court’s judgment.

    Read Also: Reps, NHRC, UK govt, others pledge support to deepening rights protection in Nigeria

    In unequivocal terms, it declared that Rivers State had ceased to function as a proper government. The absence of a legislature, it argued, rendered governance illegitimate. The apex court upheld the membership of the defected lawmakers and ordered the immediate restoration of constitutional order.

    Yet, even with this legal pronouncement, the impasse persisted. The governor remained unmoved, the House of Assembly paralyzed, and the state in a political coma. Beyond the legal dimension, security reports painted an even grimmer picture.

    Militant groups, emboldened by the vacuum of power, had begun to assert their presence, vandalizing oil pipelines while the state government stood idle. Rivers is no ordinary state. It is Nigeria’s economic jugular, home to vast oil reserves and critical infrastructure.

    The prospect of unchecked lawlessness in such a strategic region was not just a state matter but a national emergency. With this declaration, Tinubu has pressed the reset button on Rivers politics.

    This is not just about punishing political actors who refused to govern responsibly. It is a statement that Nigeria’s democracy, however imperfect, will not be held hostage by personal ambitions. It is an assertion that when governance collapses, intervention becomes not just a choice but an obligation.

    But beneath the layers of legality and security concerns lies a more profound question. Does this intervention by Tinubu solve the deeper political fractures in Rivers, or does it merely mask the wounds with the bandage of federal authority?

    Emergency rule is a temporary fix, a stabilizing mechanism, but the tensions that birthed this crisis still lurk beneath the surface. For now, Tinubu has demonstrated that the federal government will not stand by while a key state spirals into disorder.

    But history teaches that interventions of this nature are as much about execution as they are about intent. The coming months will reveal whether this was a masterstroke that restored Rivers to the path of good governance or a high-stakes gamble that merely delayed an even greater reckoning.

    •Abdulsalam Mahmud,babasalam1989@gmail.com.

  • Rivers and burden of leadership in times of crisis

    Rivers and burden of leadership in times of crisis

    By Taminu Yakubu

    Throughout history, leadership has never been measured by mere occupancy of office but by the ability to act decisively in the face of disorder. From the ancient philosopher-kings of Plato’s Republic, tasked with safeguarding justice, to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which emphasizes pre-emptive action against internal threats, it has been clear that governance is not a passive role but an active duty. John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government reminds us that when those entrusted with power begin to subvert the institutions that sustain governance, superior authority must intervene to restore order.

    It is in this context that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers State must be understood—not as a political manoeuvre, but as a constitutional necessity to prevent the descent into anarchy. His actions, in invoking Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, affirm the fundamental role of the presidency: not as a bystander to disorder but as the ultimate custodian of constitutional integrity and national stability.

    Assault on democracy: A governor’s betrayal of democratic institutions

    Democracy is fragile, not because of external threats alone, but because of the paradox it creates: it can elevate to power individuals who, under its very banner, seek to undermine it. Aristotle, in Politics, warned of democracy’s vulnerability to self-destruction when those elected to govern refuse to be governed by laws. This paradox has played out in Rivers State, where an elected executive governor, entrusted with the duty of upholding democratic governance, has instead orchestrated the systematic dismantling of the legislative arm of government.

    The illegal removal of 27 duly elected legislators, replaced by a token assembly of four loyalists, is not just an abuse of power—it is the subversion of constitutional democracy. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America foresaw this risk, noting that “when the legislative power is annihilated, the executive alone remains to dominate, and tyranny becomes inevitable.” The governor of Rivers State has thus sought to establish personal rule within a democratic structure, a perversion of the very principles that justify his mandate.

    Read Also: Exhibitors explore opportunities for manufacturing in Nigeria

    The role of a governor is not to manufacture crisis to prove his popularity. Electoral legitimacy does not grant immunity from the rule of law. The premise of democracy is not just winning elections but governing within the legal framework that sustains democracy itself. Even the most popular leader ceases to be legitimate the moment he subverts the institutions that check executive power.

    The looming economic and security catastrophe

    Beyond the assault on democracy, Rivers State faces an existential threat to its economic and security stability. The wanton destruction of critical oil and gas infrastructure, allowed to fester under the governor’s watch, threatens not just the state but the entire Nigerian economy. Rivers State is an economic artery of the nation—its oil wealth is not just local revenue, but a pillar of national fiscal stability.

    The consequences of inaction are clear: reduced crude oil output, loss of investor confidence, and further strain on the nation’s already fragile economic recovery. Edmund Burke’s timeless warning remains relevant: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Tinubu’s action is a reaffirmation that the president of Nigeria cannot afford to be a spectator while a reckless governor drives the nation toward economic ruin.

    The justification of presidential authority

    The Nigerian Constitution provides not only the framework for democratic governance but also the mechanisms to prevent its collapse. Under Section 305, the president is empowered to declare a state of emergency when a governor’s actions threaten the stability and security of the nation. This provision exists precisely to address situations like Rivers State, where a state executive, instead of governing responsibly, manipulates political structures, incites disorder, and enables economic sabotage.

    Tinubu’s intervention is therefore not a threat to democracy but a defence of it. It is in line with the Magna Carta’s principle of accountable governance, which asserts that rulers must govern within established laws, and it echoes the U.S. presidential model, which Nigeria emulated, wherein the president, as Commander-in-Chief, is duty-bound to intervene when state governments violate constitutional order.

    A statesman’s duty in the face of disorder

    History has shown that nations that fail to check lawlessness at its inception often descend into irreversible chaos. The fall of the Roman Republic, the collapse of Weimar Germany, and even the military takeovers of Africa’s post-independence era all share a common pattern: the refusal to act when democracy was first undermined.

    President Tinubu’s action in Rivers State is not an overreach—it is a necessary assertion of the principles that sustain Nigeria’s democratic experiment. Leadership demands firmness in the face of disorder, decisiveness in times of democratic subversion, and unwavering commitment to national stability. By stepping in before Rivers State spiralled into full-scale anarchy, Tinubu has acted not as a politician, but as a statesman—a custodian of Nigeria’s democratic and economic survival.

    •Yakubu is the Director-General of Budget Office, Abuja

  • BREAKING: Senate okays State of Emergency in Rivers State

    BREAKING: Senate okays State of Emergency in Rivers State

    The Senate on Thursday approved the State of Emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State on Tuesday.

    The resolution of the red chamber was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary after about two hours of closed door session.

    President Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers state following intractable crisis between the Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly.

    The President had in a nationwide emergency broadcast expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Rivers State.

    He said: “I feel greatly disturbed by the political crisis in Rivers. The state has been at a standstill, and the people have been deprived of good governance.

    “Fourteen months after Governor Fubara demolished the House of Assembly, it remains unbuilt. Many Nigerians have intervened, just as I did. But their efforts have been to no avail.

    Read Also: Senate okays DIG Ringim, three others as PSC members

    “No responsible President will stand by without taking action. To restore good governance and peace in this circumstance, it has become imperative to declare a state of emergency.

    “By this declaration, Governor Fubara is hereby suspended.

    “In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.”

    Tinubu swore-in Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as Sole Administrator of Rivers State on Wednesday.

    Details shortly…

  • Rivers: Beyond the emergency

    Rivers: Beyond the emergency

    Things would not have come to a head, if the gladiators had listened to the voice of reason. Both sides are to blame, though one of them will take a large chunk of it. In the past 15 months, Rivers State have been enmeshed in a crisis of immense magnitude. The President moved in early to resolve the problem, but those benefiting from the crisis did not want it settled.

    Now, with Tuesday’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state, these same people, some activists and civil society groups are questioning the rationale for the President’s action. Their argument is that he should not have suspended the democratic institutions in the state after invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution on the state of emergency. If I may ask: what democratic institutions? The same ones that the Supreme Court blasted the now suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for “collapsing”.

    As the Supreme Court held in its February 28 judgment: the state no longer had a government in place after Fubara demolished the House of Assembly complex on December 14, 2023, and rendered the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers ineffective and ineffectual because of his fear of being impeached. Fubara then resorted to dealing with the minority five members then led by Edison Ehie, who resigned to become his chief of staff.

    He subsequently became chummy with the rump of three or four lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, which the three layers of the High, Appeal and Supreme Courts declared as illegally constituted since it meant only 12.5% of the people had a voice in a house of 32 members. The apex court was unequivocal in condemning the governor who it described as a despot.

    President Tinubu alluded to the apex court’s position while imposing emergency rule on the state. He said he could not in good conscience as President watch and allow things to degenerate. Since the apex court’s verdict, various Ijaw groups have been threatening ‘fire and brimstone’ if the assembly, which on Monday, served Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu a notice of gross misconduct impeaches him.

    Read Also: Senate probes alleged annexation of Nigerian territories by Cameroun

    Impeachment is not an offence. It is a constitutional provision which the lawmakers, if they have the number and follow strictly the procedure for removal, can use to whip a governor into line. Barely 24 hours after the notice was issued, some militants blew up oil pipelines in parts of Rivers, despite knowing full well the consequences of their actions. The resort to violence by militants whenever there are issues like this did not start today. It is their way of blackmailing the nation to yield to their demands whether genuine or not.

    Our oil production took a nosedive a few years ago because of such activities as well as the large scale theft of crude. Of recent, things have been looking up for Nigeria as oil production took a huge leap crossing over 1.8 million barrels per day. The militants’ irrational and unpatriotic actions may take us back and down the economic slope if they are not stopped forthwith. The declaration of a state of emergency may be a better way of doing that since Fubara seems to be at peace with what is happening.

    Why will he not? I recall what he told a gathering at a commissioning ceremony about 17 days ago. “To our youths, be strong. Don’t be perturbed. At the right time you will get instructions”, he said on the occasion. I warned on this page 14 days ago that I hoped he was not planning something sinister. So, why is the President being crucified for imposing emergency rule on Rivers when the governor is only pretending to be interested in peace, but doing something else behind the scenes.

    Till his suspension from office on Tuesday, Fubara kept his executive council (EXCO) comprising mainly commissioners confirmed by the illegal Oko-Jumbo-led lawmakers, in defiance of the apex court’s decision which he said he would implement after receiving the certified true copy (CTC). He got the CTC long ago and left his commissioners intact. The opposition will rave and rant – in their usual style. Legal experts will also attempt to pull the wool over the people’s eyes on this matter.

    The thing is emergency rule is an aberration. This is why it is so named. When it is in place, democracy is suspended. It is painful but that is the plain truth. It is a weapon of last resort used in a democratic setting when all else has failed. Section 305 states the conditions under which it can be imposed and these were well spelt out in the President’s broadcast on Tuesday night.

    But those who want the status quo to remain are bickering. Can democratic institutions and the wielder of emergency legal powers exist side by side? It is trite that two captains cannot man a ship. How then can a governor and a sole administrator be in charge of a state under emergency rule? Let us leave politics aside and face reality. There would have been no need for this emergency if the gladiators had given a thought to the consequences of their actions.

    The framers of the Constitution did not expressly state in Section 305 that the governor and members of a House of Assembly should be suspended after the imposition of a state of emergency because there cannot be democracy under emergency rule. They are strange bedfellows. Democracy automatically gives way where there is a state of emergency.

    This is why I agree with the 2013 submissions of renowned law teacher Prof Akin Oyebode and the late constitutional lawyer Fred Agbaje in their reactions to former President Jonathan’s imposition of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states then. “You cannot declare emergency rule and leave the status quo”, Oyebode said, adding: “emergency rule warrants extraordinary measures which nullify the maintenance of the status quo”.

    To Agbaje, “what the president (Jonathan) has done is to stand the Constitution on its head, by purporting to declare a state of emergency, and at the same time allowing the state legislature to function. His action is constitutionally heretical and anathema”.

    Instead of throwing tantrums, those who disagree with what President Tinubu has done in Rivers can explore the legal option. The outcome of their lawsuit will help to enrich our constitutional jurisprudence.

  • A long overdue emergency declaration

    A long overdue emergency declaration

    Sir: Finally, the long-awaited declaration of emergency in Rivers State has come to pass!  It has been long overdue! The chickens have come to roost!

    Surely, there was no way things could have gone anotheer way given the way and manner the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was going about, behaving like a loose cannon, terrorizing the 27 elected assembly members, demolishing the House of Assembly complex, and running the state affairs like a one-man riot squad.      

    Who does that! Who attacks democracy with such gusto, so much effrontery and impunity like that and thinks he can get away with it? That’s what Fubara did for the better part of his two years tenure as governor and his suspension was a moment of reckoning!  

    Keen followers of political developments as they unfolded are not in doubt that the dramatis personae in the entire political impasse had it coming. When this matter seemed to be getting out of hand some eight months ago, the president had summoned the parties to Abuja essentially to broker peace. The president was not compelled by any provision of the constitution whatsoever to do so. He opted for that out of his own volition.

    At the end of that meeting a 10-point resolution emerged for the contending parties to jointly implement to ensure peace.

    Nyesom Wike and his men implemented theirs. On getting to his base in Rivers, Governor Siminalayi Fubara was advised by some leaders and his supporters to jettison the implementation of his own part of agreement. They were reported to have encouraged him to take full charge of Rivers, while asking the president to take charge of Abuja.

    Even some well-meaning Nigerians and notable voices in Niger Delta were said to have made valiant attempts to mediate, with Fubara claiming to be absolutely in charge of the state.

    For the period he governed the state, Fubara also took delight in disobeying the judgments of courts, preferring instead, to interpret written judgments through the lensesof his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

    One example that readily comes to mind is the court judgment that halted the conduct of Local Government election, which he and his Attorney General twistedto suit their purpose.

    Of course, the Fubara-led state government went ahead with the election; an unfortunate development that was trailed with carnage and destruction of lives and property.

    Read Also: UNDP ends training in Nigeria

    And then, in his moment of grandstanding, the governor also indulged in provocative and reckless pronouncements that he was ready to quit the office anytime and that, vacating the office does not amount to vacating the universe and, that the youths should await his further instructions. 

    It’s also instructive that an appellate court had adjudicated on several layers of cases brought before it, the most notable being its pronouncement that the 2025 Appropriation Bill be re-presented to the state House of Assembly led by its Speaker Martin Amaewhule.

    It is tragic that as at the time of this, the 2025 Appropriation Bill, the centre-piece of that judgment has, still not been passed.

    The last straw that appears to have broken the camel back was the suspended governor’s indifference and tacit but dangerous silence in the face of the threats by some Niger Delta hoodlums to vandalize oil pipelines should the governor be impeached. Indeed, it has since been reported that the hoodlums actually made good their threats.

    As far as this writer is concerned, Simi Fubara has proven that he’s an accidental leader, with huge leadership deficiency, and so doesn’t  deserve to continue in that exalted office.  

    His suspension serves him right,  a warning to his ilk that leadership at any level, is for big-hearted, matured, patriotic and purpose driven individuals, and not for those who just emerged from the blues.    

    •Kola Amzat (FCA, FCIB)Lagos.

  • In support of the emergency in Rivers State

    In support of the emergency in Rivers State

    Sir: Pundits who are criticizing President Bola Tinubu for declaring state of emergency in Rivers State are either economical with the truth or they are anarchists. It is surprising that majority of these critics did not fault the bombing of Rivers State House of Assembly. Where were they when the suspended governor, Simi Fubara presented a budget to a three-man assembly? Was that legal?

    Did the relocation of the sitting of the three-man House of Assembly to Government House in tandem with the principle of the separation of powers? Even the Supreme Court in its ruling, described the action of Fubara as subversion of constitution and democracy. One of the judges called him a despot.

    President Tinubu should rather be applauded because he did not just wake up and declare state of emergency in Rivers State. As an experienced politician, the president opted for political solution at the inception of the crisis, but what happened? Governor Fubara was the first to bungle it as he was widely reported by national dailies saying his political rivals should not take his simplicity as a sign of weakness, and that he would implement the political solution because of his “respect” for the president. “I am doing it because of the respect I have for Mr. President. But, let me say it here, if that action that I have accepted to take would be seen as a weakness, I will surprise them. I want to this message to go to them”. Fubara made this statement on Wednesday April 3, 2024 when members of NULGE from 23 LGAs of Rivers State paid him a solidarity visit.

    Read Also: UNDP ends training in Nigeria

    The governor, by making such statement before a group of supporters showed that he was not ready to make any peace. And in order to prove that he is not weak, and he was ready to take any measure whether legal or illegal. And this made him to co-opt militants to undermine the peace not only in Rivers State but the country as whole. It explains the resurgence of the bombing of oil pipelines.

    To arrest the chaos, President Tinubu cannot be expected to fold his arms. And the president has taken the bold step which will restore normalcy to Rivers State. But those who want to take to violence and destabilization of Nigeria are not happy because they lost the last general elections. And they are looking for every excuse to blackmail the government. They want the situation to get out of control and then they will come and start criticizing the president for being an indecisive leader.

    •Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar,Unguwa Katsina.

  • NASS, judiciary urged to void suspension of Rivers’ governor, legislators

    NASS, judiciary urged to void suspension of Rivers’ governor, legislators

    The National Assembly and the Judiciary have been urged to swiftly intervene and reverse the suspension of the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu and members of the state House of Assembly via a state of emergency declared on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu.

    A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR) made this request on Wednesday in Abuja while responding to the development in Rivers State.

    It faulted the president’s unilateral declaration of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of elected officers of the state government.

    The group argued that the conditions precedent were not met before the president decided to take the decision he took, arguing that there were other measures that would have been adopted.

    It said: “The President’s reliance on Section 305 of the Constitution to justify this move is a blatant misinterpretation of the law. 

    “While a state of emergency may be declared under specific and extreme circumstances, it does not give the President the power to sack elected officials or dissolve legislative bodies.”

    The NCSSR argued that the political crisis in Rivers State did not meet the constitutional criteria for emergency rule, such as war, external aggression, or a total breakdown of law and order. 

    The group also pointed out that the Supreme Court had ruled on the matter, reinforcing the constitutional limits on executive powers.

    It called on the National Assembly to refuse to approve this illegal declaration. 

    The Senate and the House of Representatives must uphold their constitutional duty to check executive excesses and defend Nigeria’s democratic institutions. 

    “We urge lawmakers to immediately reject this unconstitutional overreach by the Presidency, thereby preventing an authoritarian drift that threatens the stability of our nation. 

    Read Also: Tinubu consulted NASS on Rivers State of Emergency, says House

    “The Constitution is very clear that what is required for this emergency declaration to pass is two-third of votes of the 360 members of the House of Representatives and the 109 votes of members of the Senate.

    “Meaning, that no less than 240 members of the House of Representatives and 72 Senators must vote in support of the declaration of the state of emergency for ir fo stand.

    “Otherwise, the declaration must fail, and the Governo/ and the State Legislators be returneg to office immediately. 

    “Furthermore, we note the special place of the Judiciary in moderating executive excesses and rascality and do urge it to assert its Independence and ensure that this assault on democracy does not stand. 

    “Democracy thrives on the respect for the rule of law, due process, and the will of the people. 

    “Any attempt to override the electoral mandate of the people of Rivers State is a direct affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian people and must be resisted by all democratic forces,” the group said.