By Suleiman Anyalewechi
National Assembly should reject the President’s illegality
The immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has condemned in the strongest terms the state of emergency declared in Rivers state and the subsequent suspension of democratically elected Government officials by President Bola Tinubu.
The Source reports that the President, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday ,March 18, 2025, imposed a State of Emergency on Rivers State, citing the absence of governance and threat to peace and stability of both the State and the country at large as major reasons.
The President appointed a Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, to oversee the affairs of the State for the next six minths.
However, the unexpected action has been drawing flaks from not a few Nigerians, including professional bodies. They are questioning the constitutionality and motives of the President’s action.
Amaechi, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC , and former Governor of Rivers State, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed serious concern about the implications of the President’s suspension of democratically elected Government officials.
He noted that the unconstitutional suspension of elected officials is a clear and desperate intention of some persons to grab power in the State.
” Unequivocally, I condemn the rather brazen and unilaterally reckless suspension and removal of the Governor of Rivers State, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, and State House of Assembly members by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“With this singular move, Mr President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers state. This clearly violates our Constitution, the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Mr President swore to uphold.
“Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution clearly stipulates how State Governors can be removed from office. And it does not include a fiat declaration, decree, or promulgation by Mr President.
“Therefore, he cannot appropriate such powers to himself. A democratically elected State Governor cannot be removed from office by a proclamation of Mr President .
“The suspension of two key democratically elected arms of Government in Rivers State by Mr President evidently violates our constitution even within the scope and interpretation of Section 305 that the President cited in his broadcast.
“The unfolding events in Rivers State in the past months point to a clearly orchestrated plot by some persons to unconstitutionally perpetrate and impose themselves on the people.
“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 democracy.
“Mr president must be made to know and understand in unmistakable terms that this illegality cannot stand.
“Politicians across the divide should speak out rise to halt our nation’s descent into totalitarianism State Governors and legislators should speak out now.
“I urge the National Assembly to reject this illegality.” Amaechi stated
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