Rivers: Restore Fubara, others immediately – NBA directs Tinubu

 

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has again demanded the immediate reversal of declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State.

President Bola Tinubu had last Tuesday deby that declaration suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and all the elected officials, as well as the State House of Assembly. 

NBA President, Afam Osigwe, who made the call while speaking on a television programme 'Sunday Politics', on Channels Television, asked Tinubu to restore back Fubara to his elected position as Rivers State governor without further delay.

Osigwe explained that the removal of Fubara by Tinubu is unconstitutional, saying the President lacked such powers to suspend democratically elected officials.

The NBA President insisted that Fubara must be brought back to his position as the governor of Rivers State as the constitution does not recognize a Sole Administrator.

“That is our belief, that is what we expect the president to do, to restore him (Fubara) back to power having unconstitutionally removed him,” Osigwe said on the programme when asked if the president should recall the governor.

“And that is why we do not recognise that a sole administrator is the rightful person to occupy the government house in Rivers State having been appointed unconstitutionally.

“Even when I saw him taking oath of office, I was wondering which oath he was taking because he was taking an oath not known to the constitution, the constitution does not recognise an administrator,” he said.

Osigwe pointed out that the problem in Rivers State is being cured with a wrong solution, likening it to one using a sledgehammer on his head because of headache.

According to him, the measures being taken to address the Rivers problem “are overreaching, extensive, undemocratic and above all, unconstitutional.”

He maintained that the problem in Rivers State is political and only a political solution will bring it to an end.

“I do not believe that it (Section 305) is not explicit, I simply believe that we deliberately refuse to apply it the way it is,” Osigwe said.

Osigwe also does not believe that the national assembly approval legitimized the President’s action, describing the approval as placing something on nothing.