A former spokesperson for the Labour Party, Kenneth Okonkwo has described the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu as illegal and unconstitutional.
Okonkwo while reacting to the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara and the lawmakers of the state for six months said, the president simply suspended the fundamental rights of citizens.
In a post made on X, the lawyer said restoring peace in this instance should not involve the removal of elected representatives of the people.
Citing the case of the declaration of State of Emergency in three states of the Northeast – Borno Adamawa and Yobe – by former President Goodluck Jonathan, the lawyer and actor said the democratically elected structures were not removed from office.
“Security of Nigeria is the exclusive reserve of the Federal Government, which controls all the security forces. The Governor has no police to command.
“Blaming the Governor for the security failures of the Federal Government in Rivers is misplaced,” Okonkwo said.
Further describing the action of the president as a measure to grab power and take Rivers State away from the opposition and hand it over to his stooges, Okonkwo said all parties involved in the crisis rocking the state should have been punished.
He said if Tinubu was serious, his punishment should have been extended to members of his cabinet.
He said, “It is in this regard that I urge the National Assembly to reject this illegal removal of the elected representatives of Rivers State and declare it undemocratic. There’s nothing extra ordinary with what is happening in Rivers State.
“There is a gang up of state looters against a Governor who refused to give them the key to the purse of Rivers State. They have been trying to remove him without success because of the support of Rivers people for their Governor necessitating the President trying to remove him through the back door.
“It’s unfortunate that a sitting President will assist in unravelling our democracy. All democratic forces must rise up against this undemocratic act,” Okonkwo said.
