A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has strongly condemned the recent suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly.
The suspension, which followed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state, has been described by the coalition as an “executive coup” aimed at undermining the people’s democratic rights and constitutional governance.
During a press conference held in Abuja, the coalition called for the immediate reversal of what it termed an unconstitutional suspension of duly elected officials.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Anthony Ubani, Executive Director of #FixPolitics, urged members of the National Assembly who were not part of the decision-making process to speak out against what he described as a gross violation of the constitution.
“Nigerians should not remain silent on this matter,” Ubani said. “It is essential that the public demands accountability from their representatives and ensures that democracy is upheld.”
Ubani noted that although the president has the legal authority to declare a state of emergency under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), this power should not be abused.
“The president’s power is not a blank check for dictatorship,” he stated, while expressing concerns about recent events, including pipeline explosions and impeachment proceedings against the governor, which he suggested might have been orchestrated to justify the state of emergency.
The coalition also raised questions about the approval process in the National Assembly, pointing out that Section 305(2) of the Constitution requires the president to submit the proclamation for legislative approval within two days or ten days if the Assembly is not in session.
Ubani stressed that approval requires a two-thirds majority from both chambers, yet the process has been clouded by alleged irregularities, including a voice vote in the House of Representatives and a closed-door session in the Senate.
“The Constitution requires two-thirds of each chamber of the National Assembly to ratify the order. This means 73 out of 109 senators and 240 out of 360 members of the House of Representatives.”
“Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved the State of Emergency by voice vote. While a member raised a point of order from the floor, he was silenced.”
