By Ebiere Kekeboro
President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months. The President made the declaration in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday.
This decision according to the president was made to restore stability in the state, which has been experiencing political turmoil due to disagreements between the governor and state lawmakers.
President Tinubu cited Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, stating that the emergency measure was necessary to restore peace and order in the state.
He expressed concern over the political crisis in Rivers State, which has been ongoing for a while.
“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months,” President Tinubu declared.
The president appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the state’s administrator to oversee governance.
“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.”
President Tinubu clarified that the declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.
The proclamation has been published in the Federal Gazette and forwarded to the National Assembly, as required by the Constitution. President Tinubu expressed hope that this intervention will help restore peace and order in Rivers State.
“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.” he concluded