Rivers State of Emergency: :Nigeria Civil Soiety Situation Room Rejects, calls for mass action against FG.
ATABOR JULIUS LOKOJA
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room North Central zone has called on Nigerians International community,. Democratic institutions, political parties and all lovers of Democracy across the world to mount pressures on President Tinubu to immediately lift the state of emergency in rivers state.
The members of the civil society situation room gave the charge in a press conference held on Monday in Lokoja.
The civil society groups in attendance include Concern Parenthood Initiative CPI, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolutions CHRCR, Rehoboth; INGRA, NAWOJ and Lokoja Goodwill Widow Association.
Spokesperson for the group, Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, who read a prepared text noted that the Civil Soiety unequivocally reject and condemn in the strongest terms the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She said the action of President Tinubu constitutes an affront to the constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria, saying
the President acted beyond his constitutional mandate and violated the sovereignty of the people of river state.
Accordingly to her “the arbitrary removal of elected officials in Rivers State undermines the principles of federalism and sets a dangerous precedent where the federal government can unlawfully take over the governance of any state under flimsy pretexts. “
We therefore reject this reckless and unlawful suspension of elected officials and democratic institutions in the Rivers State.
“The people of Rivers State exercised their constitutional right by electing their leaders. The President’s action is a blatant disregard for their democratic choice and disenfranchises the citizens by imposing a federally appointed administrator over a duly elected government.
“The appointment of a sole administrator in a democratic era is Illegal, unconstitutional and unacceptable. There is no provision in the Nigerian Constitution which empowers the President to appoint an unelected individual to govern a federating unit.
“If this illegal declaration is allowed to stand, it could serve as a template for future undemocratic actions by the federal government against other states and emboldens leaders to subvert democracy for personal or political gain. This endangers the progress Nigeria has made in strengthening democratic governance since 1999 and moves the country closer to authoritarian rule” she demanded
The text however demands
Immediate Reversal of the State of Emergency In River State as
there is no constitutional or moral justification for the declaration of a state of emergency , urging the president to immediately revoke this declaration and restore constitutional order in the State by reinstating all the elected officials.
Agbogun said the president owed Nigerians an apology
for violating their democratic rights and unlawfully usurping the powers of their elected leaders.
The group charged Judiciary and relevant stakeholders to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy by ensuring that the President’s unconstitutional actions are condemned and that no such overreach is permitted in the future.
