Tinubu Declares State of Emergency in Oil Rich Rivers State

• Deploys military to take over state government house
• Suspends all Democratic structures
• Likened Governor Fubara to a despot
• Appoints sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, (Rtd)

BY BONNY AMADI

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the lingering political crisis in the state.

The political crisis in the state stems between legislators loyal to the state governor and those loyal to the immediate past governor, now minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

President Tinubu made the declaration in a national broadcast, saying that, in the state “A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended.

In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”

The president said that it became compelling for him to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers with effect from March 18.

“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.

“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State,” Tinubu said.

He, however, said that for the avoidance of doubt, the declaration did not affect the judicial arm of the state, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.

“The Administrator will not make any new laws.

‘He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.

“This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.

“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State.

“It will awaken all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political play- ers in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has deployed armed security operatives, including the Nigerian Army, to occupy the Rivers State Government House following his suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

A video obtained on Monday evening shows several military vans filled with armed operatives heading toward the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt.

This comes shortly after Presi- dent Tinubu, during a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing political instability and security concerns.

The decision, which has been met with fierce criticism, saw the immediate suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

“In the circumstances, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State… it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the