Lawyer Liborous Oshoma has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of using the state of emergency in Rivers State as a pretext to seize control of the oil-rich state through unconstitutional means. He argued that if the president’s true intention was to curb insecurity, he would have tackled the specific areas of concern rather than suspending an elected governor and state assembly.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Oshoma highlighted the contradiction in the federal government’s stance, recalling a past Supreme Court ruling that barred governors from suspending elected local government chairmen. He pointed out that Tinubu’s administration, which once championed that ruling, is now attempting to remove a democratically elected governor under the guise of security concerns. He further criticised the appointment of a sole administrator, warning that allocating funds to an unelected government would violate the constitution.
He said, “Before now, the federal government approached the Supreme Court under section 7 of the constitution, requesting that the Supreme Court should make a pronouncement that under no guise can a state governor suspend a democratically elected local government chairman and the Supreme Court also agreed with it, with the APC and the federal government. That same federal government today is saying they have powers to suspend a democratically elected governor and state House of Assembly because the two cannot agree on what should happen in section 188.
“Now, the same highest court of the land says don’t release allocation to a government that is not democratically elected and now you appointed a sole administrator, you’re going to flout the constitution and release allocation. That means it is not about fighting insecurity, it’s about taking Rivers state through the back door. If it’s about insecurity, you’ll take charge of the areas and find solutions to the security challenges in those areas and not take over the entire state.”
While speaking on the matter, he also acknowledged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s statement about “telling Rivers boys when to deploy” was reckless and could have been exploited by his political opponents to incite unrest. However, he maintained that the federal government’s response was excessive and politically motivated.
President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and all elected state lawmakers. Citing governance paralysis, security threats, and constitutional violations, Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the state’s administrator for an initial six-month period.
The crisis in Rivers has been brewing for months, with disputes over legislative authority and security concerns escalating tensions. Tinubu accused Fubara of failing to act against pipeline vandalism and militant threats. The demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly in December 2023 further deepened the crisis, with the Supreme Court ruling that governance in the state had collapsed.
Melissa Enoch
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