Calls for Tinubu to lift Fubara suspension increase, five tins wey don happun since State of Emergency for Rivers State

President Bola Tinubu shock many Nigerians wen e declare a state of emergency for Rivers State on Tuesday, 18 March, 2025 sake of political instability for dia.

Tinubu also suspend di state govnor Siminalayi Fubara and members of di state House of Assembly for six months, and e also appoint a new sole administrator to oversee di state, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, wey don already start work.

Dis decision still dey cause plenty tok-tok for di kontri as pipo dey chook mouth to support or criticise President Tinubu.

Hia na di five major tins wey don happen:

PDP govnors, CSO go to court

Some PDP govnors don tok say dem don instruct dia lawyers to approach di supreme court to interpret section 305 of di Nigeria constitution.

Di pipo wey go file di suit na di govnors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Plateau, and Zamfara states.

Di govnors want di Supreme Court to decide, among oda tins, weda setion 305 of di 1999 constitution give di President power to to suspend a democratically elected govnor, deputy governor and State Assembly, and to appoint a sole administrator, in di name of proclamation of a state of emergency.

Dis dey come afta four out of di six govnors of di South-South geopolitical zone also condemn di state of emergency for Rivers State.

Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State wey be chairman of di South-South govnors forum say "di current political situation for Rivers State no satisfy di criteria for declaring a state of emergency as outlined in Section 305(3) of the Nigerian Constitution".

However, di govnors of Edo and Cross River states say dem support President Tinubu decision.

Meanwhile, a civil society organisation wey im name na Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (Serap), say dem don also sue President Tinubu for di Federal High Court Abuja sake of di "unlawful suspension" of di govnor of Rivers State, im deputy and di state assembly.

"Democracy na inherent element of di rule of law. Di foundation of Nigeria democracy suppose to be respect for human rights and di rule of law," di group tok for one statement wey dem release on Sunday.

Argument over National Assembly support of State of emergency

Anoda ogbonge topic of discussion na on weda di National Assembly follow di law wen dem vote to approve di state of emergency wey Tinubu declare for Rivers State.

According to di constitution, Tinubu need di vote of 2/3rd majority of di members of di National Assembly to support di state of emergency declaration bifor e go come into effect.

Both di Senate and di House of Representative bin vote in support, but instead of members voting one by one to determine two-third majority, na voice vote di members use.

Afam Osigwe a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and president of di Nigeria Bar Association, say dis method of voice voting no be wetin constitution tok so di support of di National Assembly for Tinubu dey unconstitutional.

"For you to make sure say you follow di constitutional requirement of two-third majority, you must to indicate di number of pipo wey attend di session, di number of pipo wey vote for or against, and di number of pipo wey abstain to vote. And you no go fit get dat by a voice vote," Osigwe tok for one TV interview.

"So di use of voice vote for both chambers also underscore di unconstitutionality of di whole action."

Members of di Nigeria House of Representatives dey 360 and di Senate get 109 members, so two-thirds majority suppose be 240 and 73 for both chambers respectively.

Aminu Tambuwal, a serving member of di senate say im dey sure say im dey sure say di number of senators wey attend plenary no reach 73 on di day day dem ratify di state of emergency for Rivers.

Tambuwal wey bin don serve as speaker of di House of Reps and a former govnor for Sokoto state, tok dis one for interview wit local newspaper wia e say di national assembly no follow di constitution, dem no follow dia own rule and dem no follow precedents to approve di state of emergency.

"President Olusegun Obasanjo bin declare State of emergency. E get two-thirds majority for di senate and di house of representatives. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan declare state of emergency in 2013 for Borno state. Also, in Adamawa and Yobe. We get two-thirds to do am," Tambuwal tok.

'Parliament, judiciary dey pretend to sleep' - Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, wey bin no dey too criticise any serving administration for public, tok say di situation in Rivers State paint Nigeria in very negative light.

E tok say di major actors for dis whole saga know di correct tin to do, "but dem dey pretend to sleep, and e dey very difficult to wake pesin wey dey pretend to sleep".

Jonathan say dis follow for why Nigeria passport no dey respected internationally, oda kontris dey treat Nigerians anyhow, and foreign investors no fit put money for Nigeria.

"Clear abuse of offices, clear abuse of power, clear abuse of privileges, cutting across di three arms of goment," e tok.

"No businessman go fit bring im money to invest for a kontri wia di judiciary dey compromised, wia a goment functionary go detect to judges di judgement to give. No man go invest for such a kontri bicos na big risk."

Soyinka, wey be Tinubu ally also condemn action

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, wey pipo know as one of di supporters of President Tinubu, also criticise di state of emergency declaration for Rivers State, as e tok say di move "dey over excessive".

"I think say di wholesale scuttling of di democratic existence in Rivers State dey excessive. I think say di President for manage di situation much more economically."

Soyinka say e hope di pipo wey dey affected go carry di matter go up to di supreme court "so dat we go get a clearer picture once and for all" so dat we go know weda such action dey legal abi e dey unconstitutional".

Fubara appear in public first time since im suspension

Meanwhile, di suspended govnor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara appear for public for di first time since im suspension as e attend church service for Salvation Ministries for di GRA area of Port Harcourt on Sunday.

E no tok anytin or address di press, but di appearance don clear di rumour wey bin dey fly around say di goment fit don run comot from Rivers State.