Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has fiercely criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Amaechi condemned the move as “undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a brazen violation of Nigeria’s Constitution,” urging the National Assembly, state governors, and other key stakeholders to reject what he termed an “illegal power grab.”
Naija News reports that Amaechi argued that President Tinubu had exceeded his constitutional authority by suspending duly elected state officials, citing Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, which outlines the process for impeachment of a governor.
According to Amaechi, the power to remove a governor should follow this clearly defined process, and not be executed by presidential decree.
“With this singular move, Mr. President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers State. This clearly violates our Constitution, the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Mr. President swore to uphold,” Amaechi said.
The former governor further questioned the legality of Tinubu’s reliance on Section 305 of the Constitution, which allows the President to declare a state of emergency in extreme cases.
He argued that while the section empowers the President to take action during a crisis, it does not grant him the authority to “dissolve elected arms of government,” a move that Amaechi described as unconstitutional.
“The power to dissolve elected officials and dissolve the legislature is not contained in the provisions of Section 305. The President does not have such powers,” Amaechi added.
Amaechi accused certain forces within the political establishment of orchestrating a political takeover in Rivers State, further undermining democratic processes in the state.
He called on all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, to stand up against what he deemed 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 stated.
Amaechi, who once served as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), expressed his support for the governors who have publicly denounced the suspension.
He urged other governors, as well as lawmakers, to unite and reject the action, stressing that the move could lead to Nigeria’s descent into a “totalitarian regime.”
“This is not just about Rivers State. This is about the future of Nigeria’s democracy. We must not allow this dangerous precedent to set a new course for our country,” he warned.
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