The disaster resulting in the suspension of the River State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is a pretext to claim Federal jingoism within the Nigerian state. The suspension is just not solely unconstitutional however additionally it is ill-motivated. On March 18, of 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, thus ensuing within the inchoate suspension of the elected Governor for six months.
He’s to get replaced by an administrator who’s to make laws not legal guidelines as regards governance henceforth in Rivers State. Let’s keep in mind that the disaster resulting in the suspension of Fubara has been and is being orchestrated by Wike, the previous governor of River State, now FCT Minister.
Usually talking, Nyesom Wike intends to depart his mark within the historical past of godfatherism in Nigerian politics. After his two phrases as Governor of River State, the present FCT Minister longs to disharmoniously exert affect within the politics of River State. This isn’t occurring with out inflicting pointless friction inside and between political events.
The present FCT Minister entered politics due to his godfathers comparable to Senator John Azuta Mbata, then the governor of River State Amaechi and the Jonathans. In return, Wike positioned and handpicked Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of River State. Would Wike proceed to exert affect as former governor if he weren’t in a present ministerial place in Tinubu’s cupboard? Clearly, many previous governors are toothless lions at the moment and couldn’t instigate a pseudo-state of emergency.
Constitutionally, the suspension is extremely vires the facility of the President for violating the Process for declaration of state of emergency. By advantage of Part 305 subsections 3 and (5) of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it’s stipulated respectively as follows:Subsection (3).
The President shall have energy to problem a Proclamation of a state of emergency solely when -(a) the Federation is at struggle; (b) the Federation is in imminent hazard of invasion or involvement in a state of struggle; (c) there may be precise breakdown of public order and public security within the Federation or any half thereof to such extent as to require extraordinary measures to revive peace and safety; (d) there’s a clear and current hazard of an precise breakdown of public order and public security within the Federation or any half thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such hazard; (e) there may be an incidence or imminent hazard, or incidence of any catastrophe or pure calamity, affecting the neighborhood or a bit of the neighborhood within the Federation;(f) there may be another public hazard which clearly constitutes a menace to the existence of the Federation; or (g) the President receives a request to take action in accordance with the provisions of subsection (4) of this part Subsection (5).
The President shall not problem a Proclamation of a state of emergency in any case to which the provisions of subsection (4) of this part apply except the Governor of the State fails inside cheap time to make a request to the President to problem such Proclamation.
Clearly the scenario in Rivers State has not reached a set off level to warrant a Proclamation of a state of emergency. For the sake of data, the 2020 #EndSars Protest in Lagos threatened the unity of the Federation, public order and security than the present political feud between Fubara and Wikeism (Godfatherist ambition of Wike) in Rivers.
But the then President didn’t proclaim a state of emergency nor did Governor Sanwo-olu request for one. Whereas President Tinubu’s proactiveness in varied points underneath his administration is commendable, it’s my humble view that his proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State is ill-motivated and misplaced.
The President might have issued a proclamation of a state of emergency on prices of governance, corruption, governance deficits and power poverty in Nigeria. The price of governance is the very case that threatens the unity of the Federation; corruption is a really clear and current hazard of an precise breakdown of public order and public security within the Federation; governance deficit is a catastrophe and man-made calamity, affecting varied communities within the Federation; impunity and lack of accountability to the individuals is a public hazard which clearly constitutes a menace to the existence of the Federation. These are the parasites gnawing the very pillars of the muse of the Federation!
As for the political squabble between Wike and Fubara, President Tinubu may need performed a statesman’s card and never a play boy’s card regardless of his want for Wike as an Ace in his (Tinubu’s) sleeve for a second time period. Nevertheless, the institution of an interim authorities headed by a person in uniform is a menace to the rule of legislation and political stability in Nigeria.
As a substitute of encoraging the boys in uniform, President Tinubu might have referred to as Wike to order and permit Fubara to manipulate throughout the bounds of the legal guidelines of the Federation.Salifou is a jurist and political scientist.
He could be reached through: [email protected]
