Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s suspending of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Amaechi characterised the action in a Wednesday, March 19, statement as “undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a brazen violation of Nigeria’s Constitution.” Calling on the National Assembly, state governors, and interested parties, he denounced what he considered an “illegal power grab.” Nigerian style
Amaechi contended that President Tinubu had overreached his constitutional jurisdiction by suspending appointed state officials. Referring to Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, Amaechi underlined that a governor cannot be removed by presidential fiat but only following a well-defined impeachment process.
“With this singular move, Mr. President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers State. This violates our Constitution, the same Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution that Mr. President swore to uphold,” Amaechi stated.
Arguing that Section 305, which lets the President declare a state of emergency, does not give him the authority to “dissolve elected arms of government,” he further questioned Tinubu’s use.
Amaechi charged some agencies with planning a political takeover of the state. He urged governors, lawmakers, and Nigerians across political divides to fight an “audacious violation of democracy.”
“At this inauspicious moment in our nation’s trajectory, all people of goodwill and conscience should rise to oppose this audacious violation of our Constitution and rape of our democracy. Mr. President must be made to know and understand in unmistakable terms that this illegality cannot stand,” he declared
Nigerian fashion
Previously Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Amaechi praised governors who had objected to the suspension. He exhorted others to unite in opposing the action and stopping “Nigeria’s slide into totalitarianism.”
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