-A group of attorneys led by attorneys in Defence of Democracy has staged a demonstration in Abuja, seeking the recall of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from suspension and the restoration of democratic governance in Rivers state.
This comes as the group has urged the United States and the world community to put pressure on President Bola Tinubu to reverse his decision, which suspended Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Barr. Uchechukwu Udeh, Country Director of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, claimed that President Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State was “unconstitutional and undermines democracy.”
In a letter to President Donald Trump, the group requested him to act and put pressure on Nigeria’s administration to restore democracy in Rivers State.
They contended that the suspension of Governor Fubara and the state assembly is a flagrant attempt to disrupt constitutional order.
The organization said that President Tinubu’s conduct was manifestly rushed, and that due procedure was not observed.
The lawyers also chastised the National Assembly for ratifying the President’s decision, calling it as an aberration of democracy.
As a result, the group called on President Tinubu to reconsider his position and allow Governor Fubara to continue serving as the state’s lawfully elected governor.
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“In an era when democracy is meant to reign supreme, bringing democracy dividends to the masses, we have arrived at a fork in the road, a sobering moment of reckoning in which constitutional order is being put to the ultimate test.
“The President, who pledged to protect Nigeria’s Constitution, has taken an unprecedented and illegitimate move by suspending a democratically elected governor, deputy governor, and the whole State House of Assembly under the pretense of emergency rule.
What is the emergency? “Nigerians and Rivers people did not see or feel any such emergency,” the letter said.
“No constitutional provision, statute, or established convention gives the president the authority to dissolve the institutions of an elected state government on his own.
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“This could only have happened during the days of military juntas, but we are not under the control of a military dictator.
“The president should have let the various state organs handle the issues. It is not worth noting that until recently, there existed a crisis in local government administration in Osun State that did not result in the proclamation of a state of emergency.
“The country is currently governed under a constitutional democracy with a presidential system of government.
The Lawyers in Defence of Democracy said that President Tinubu should not have made the judgment because democracy is a learning process and the judiciary has proved its ability to settle conflicts. END.
