Popular Nigerian lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) says President Muhammadu Buhari cannot declare war on the South East or any section of the country without the approval of the National Assembly.
Falana said this at the South-West zonal public hearing on the Constitution Review organised by the House of Representatives on Wednesday in Lagos.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also condemned the threat by President Buhari to deal with agitators in the South East, asking the Nigerian leader to a state of emergency in the region.
Falana appealed to the National Assembly to urgently pass a resolution requesting the President to stop the ongoing war in the South East.
He, however, urged the agitators and the Nigerian armed forces to stop killings on both sides and allow the governors to address the grievances of the gunmen.
He said, “Under the constitution, section 305, the President cannot declare a war on any part of Nigeria without the approval of the National Assembly. A state of emergency must be declared. None has been declared in the South-East. Therefore, the ongoing killings in the South-East cannot be justified under the constitution.
“We want to appeal to members of the National Assembly to urgently pass a resolution requesting the President to stop the ongoing war in the South-East of Nigeria.
“We, therefore, appeal to the so-called gunmen and the Nigerian armed forces to stop killings on both sides and allow the governors to address the challenges of misgovernance, injustice, lopsided appointments and nepotistic control of the country.”
The article was originally published on Nigeria News
