A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu and the State House of Assembly for six months.
According to the coalition, the actions constitute an executive coup against the people of Rivers State, flagrant abuse of executive powers, violation of Nigeria’s constitutional order and an undermining of democracy.
The CSOs at a press conference in Abuja yesterday demanded an immediate reversal of the removals.
Speaking for the coalition, executive director of #FixPolitics, Anthony Ubani, called on members of the National Assembly who were not part of what he termed ‘charade’ approval of the emergency rule and suspension to speak up against the violation of the Constitution.
Ubani asked Nigerians to make their displeasure known to their representatives and leverage available channels to demand a reversal of the state of emergency in Rivers as well as push for functional democracy.
He also urged all stakeholders, including the judiciary, civil society and the international community to closely monitor the situation in Rivers State and ensure that emergency measures are strictly in line with constitutional and democratic principles.
“While the president has the legal authority to declare a state of emergency under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), this power is not a blank cheque for dictatorship.
The sequence of events, including the pipeline explosions (which are now doubtful) and the impeachment proceedings against the governor, make the call for a state of emergency suspicious.
He called on judiciary to immediately strike down the violation of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, saying
the Constitution does not support the unilateral dismissal of Rivers State’s elected leaders, which is an egregious violation of Nigeria’s federal structure.
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