Rivers crisis: CSOs urge Nigerians to recall lawmakers who betrayed mandate

Following the approval of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by the National Assembly yesterday, over 300 Civil Society Organisations have called on Nigerians to demand accountability from their elected representatives.

The organisations urged citizens to mobilise and contact their lawmakers, insisting that those who voted in favour of the president’s request, which the group deems undemocratic, should be recalled.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the CSOs, while describing the actions of the President and lawmakers as not only unconstitutional but a dent in democracy, demanded an immediate reversal of the state of emergency and the restoration of constitutional order in Rivers State.

The organisations include FixPolitics, Accountability Lab Nigeria, BudgIT Foundation, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, Global Rights, International Press Centre (IPC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Yiaga Africa Initiative, and The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative (Partners West Africa-Nigeria), among others.

The President, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months, appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as administrator.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate, at a plenary session on Thursday, approved the president’s request, a development that has resulted in backlash from Nigerians.

The organisations, at Friday’s press briefing, noted that the President has abused the presidential prerogative (Section 305, 1999 Constitution) and is responsible for the unconstitutional and opaque actions of the National Assembly, as well as the illegitimate removal of elected officials.

“We’re asking you, each one of you, to call your representatives and say they must not vote against your vote, which is what they essentially have done. We sent them there, and you can recall them,” they stated.

Speaking on behalf of others, the executive director of FixPolitics, Anthony Ubani, maintained that the actions of the President and National Assembly constitute an executive coup against the people of Rivers State, a flagrant abuse of executive power, a violation of Nigeria’s constitutional order, and an undermining of democracy.

He stressed that while it is the prerogative of the President to declare a state of emergency, the power is not absolute and is subject to legislative oversight and judicial review to prevent abuse.

The organisations also call on Nigerians to make their displeasure known to their representatives, noting that the National Assembly is the highest law-making body in the country and must not be allowed to get away with choosing which of Nigeria’s laws they want to obey.

“We unequivocally condemn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the subsequent removal of the democratically elected Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months, in the first instance.

“Contrary to the Constitution, we have witnessed abuse of power, disregard for due process, and the violation of democratic principles with the President’s imposition of a state of emergency and appointment of an unconstitutional administrator in Rivers State, as well as the National Assembly’s complicity in ratifying unconstitutionality.

“The Constitution does not support the unilateral dismissal of Rivers State’s elected leaders, which is an egregious violation of Nigeria’s federal structure. Section 188 sets out the due process for the removal of a governor, which requires due process, legislative inquiry, and judicial oversight. No such process occurred.

“We demand an immediate reversal of the unconstitutional removal of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and House of Assembly members in Rivers State and call on members of the National Assembly who were not part of yesterday’s charade to speak up against the violation of the Constitution.”

Ubani added that history has shown that when unconstitutional acts, such as the case of Fubara’s suspension, go unchallenged, they become the norm and no state is safe.

He declared that the CSOs remain committed to upholding the Constitution, defending democratic governance, and ensuring that the rule of law prevails in Nigeria.