A former presidential aide, Laolu Akande has appealed to the National Assembly to reject the suspension of Governor Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying they have the responsibility to defend Nigeria’s democracy.
The former spokesman to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the remark on Thursday on Channels Television, as controversy continues to trail the president’s action.
The magazine reported that President Tinubu, on Tuesday, suspended Governor Fubara and members of the Rivers state House of Assembly after declaring a state of emergency in the oil rich state, citing the break down of law and order.
The emergency rule culminated due to the protracted power struggle between supporters of Governor Fubara and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and former governor of the state.
President Tinubu had since appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibokette Ibas as the administrator to run the affairs of the state for a period of six months, saying his action is subject to the approval of the National Assembly.
The NASS, on Wednesday, shifted the debate over the matter to Thursday amid tension across the country.
Speaking earlier today, Akande said President Tinubu has committed a grave mistake by suspending Governor Fubara and the state lawmakers, urging the NASS to reverse the ‘unconstitutional decision.
According to him, the president has been advised wrongly and must be told so by the lawmakers, who are in the position to save the country from the anarchy that is bound to trail the president’s action.
He explained that Tinubu should have availed himself all available dispute resolution methods before taking the suspension option, adding that Tinubu should have called Wike and Fubara, the two antagonists in the Rivers political crisis to a ‘room’ and giver them the ultimatum to end the crisis.
Stressing that the president has overreached himself by suspending the democratically elected officials in the state, which he has no power to do, the former presidential adviser said the NASS must endevout to ‘save Tinubu from himself’, because he has derailed from the cause of democracy which he once championed.
The NASS “need to save Tinubu from himself. He taught us in his better days”- what democracy is, but appears to have derailed. “You cannot suspend an elected governor’ Akande said, adding that “constitutionality is the pillar of our democracy.
“The president needs help for his own legacy. The NASS needs to help him do that. The constitution that we have, federal system will not allow you to do so.”
Meanwhile, the Minsiter of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has defended the president’s action, stating that Tinubu acted at the right time.
Fagbemi said yesterday, while speaking to journalists in Aso Rock, Nigeria’s Presidency that the president needed to declare a state of emergency to forestall a further break down of law and order.
The nation’s chief law officer also disclosed that that the federal government will released the seized funds belonging to the Rivers state government to the new Administrator, thus putting an end to the debate over whether the funds seized following last months Supreme Court order will still be withheld during the period of State of Emergency.
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