A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Amaechi described the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly as unconstitutional, and a brazen violation of the country’s constitution.
The former Rivers State governor pointed out that President Tinubu overstepped his authority by suspending elected state officials.
Amaechi, who cited Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, argued that a governor can only be removed through a clearly defined impeachment process, not by presidential decree.
The ex-minister faulted Tinubu’s use of Section 305 to declare the state of emergency, saying the section does not grant him the power to dissolve elected arms of government.”
He urged the National Assembly, state governors, and stakeholders to reject what he described as “an illegal power grab.”
He also labelled the move as an “audacious violation of democracy.”
The statement read: “With this singular move, Mr. President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers State. This violates our Constitution, the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Mr. President swore to uphold.
“At this inauspicious moment in our nation’s trajectory, all people of goodwill and conscience should rise to oppose this audacious violation of our constitution and rape of our democracy. Mr. President must be made to know and understand in unmistakable terms that this illegality cannot stand.
President Tinubu on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.
He also suspended the governor, his deputy, and members of the Assembly for six months.
President Tinubu had since appointed a former chief of naval staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd) as the state’s sole administrator.