Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party has called on the National Assembly to resist the urge to approve the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State.
Obi described the decision of President Bola Tinubu to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers, and suspend Governor Fubara and all elected lawmakers as unconstitutional and reckless.
The former governor of Anambra State stated that the president has succeeded in plunging Nigeria back into a state of lawlessness and undoing the democratic progress so far gained in the past years.
“I appeal to the National Assembly and all stakeholders not to allow this to stand, as it only deepens the culture of impunity and brigand already threatening our democracy,” Obi wrote on X.
He said that the president has shown a dangerous willingness to trample on the nation’s democracy by disregarding the rule of law.
Obi wrote, “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State is not just reckless—it is a clear attempt to return us to a state of nature and tighten its grip on power at all costs.
“It is a degrading back door imposition of martial rule on a strategic part of the federation with all the implied negatives.
“The political situation on the ground in Rivers does not justify such an extreme measure, and it is also a biased interpretation of section 305 of the 1999 constitution,” he added.
The LP’s presidential candidate also warned that a state of emergency, as declared by the president does not amount to the unilateral removal of an elected governor.
Warning that Tinubu’s decision does not align with the democratic norms or tenets of good governance, Obi said the president’s action appears to be serving the interests of his associates.
“This action constitutes an unconstitutional overreach, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of powers. If left unchecked, it could foster a culture of impunity.
“Having already been grappling with non-adherence to electoral qualifications, rules, and massive rigging, adding arbitrary removal of elected officials will push us to a state of nature and anarchy,” he wrote.
