Aisha Yesufu, others demand reversal of emergency rule in Rivers
The Co-convener of the #BringBackourGirls Movement, Aisha Yesufu, and other rights activists on Saturday condemned and demanded the reversal of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency imposed on Rivers State.
They also pressed for the immediate reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, describing the President’s action as illegal and a violation of the constitution.
The demand was made at a press conference in Abuja.
The PUNCH reported that the National Assembly endorsed the emergency rule on Thursday after a letter was transmitted to the two chambers.
The parliament backed Tinubu’s proclamation through a voice vote amidst calls from the opposition leaders to reject it.
However, activists under the aegis of the Citizens and Civil Society Organisations condemned the lawmakers’ actions, saying they failed the people.
Yesufu warned that if the majority of Nigerians allow the President and the National Assembly to get away with the emergency rule, it will set a bad precedent.
She said, “I am sure every Nigerian feels sadness at what is happening currently in our country.
“The democracy that we have today was fought for by a lot of people. It is only fair that we safeguard our democracy and ensure that the rule of law remains sacrosanct and processes are followed in everything being done.
“We have to understand that if we do not fix this polity and say it’s none of our business, the things happening in Nigeria today will continue to happen, where some few citizens who are supposedly elected into office to serve the people, begin to serve only their self-interest.
“We must understand that under a democracy, the Constitution is sacrosanct and the Constitution must be followed the way it is. This is not the democracy that a lot of people fought for, and some died for us to have. This constitutional rascality has to stop.”
The Executive Director of FixPolitics, Anthony Ubani, who also spoke on behalf of 300 other coalitions, condemned the state of emergency in Rivers.
According to him, it wasn’t the idea of democracy that every true Nigerian had dreamt about.
Ubani also vowed that there would be fireworks of litigation against the President’s actions in the days to come.
He said, “We demand an immediate reversal of the unconstitutional removal of the governor, deputy governor, and House of Assembly members in Rivers State.
“The President does not have the power to dismiss elected state officials arbitrarily. His actions are dictatorial and illegal and must be resisted by all Nigerians.
“We call on members of the National Assembly who were not part of Thursday’s charade to speak up against the violation of the Constitution. The National Assembly is the highest law-making body in the country, and it must not be allowed to get away with choosing which of Nigeria’s laws it wants to obey.
“There will be several lawsuits in the coming days, and we require the Judiciary to review each case on its merit and not rely on technicalities to dismiss the cases. History has shown that when unconstitutional acts like this go unchallenged, they become the norm. If Rivers is silenced today, no state is safe tomorrow.”.
