Anabs Sara-Igbe, an elder statesman and well-known Ijaw leader, has once again objected to President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly.
In a Vanguard interview, Sara-Igbe stated that President Tinubu’s actions are against the nation’s constitution.
Tinubu may take the move, according to the former spokesperson for the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), because the National Assembly is no longer an autonomous branch of government and has failed to stop the executive’s excesses.
Nigeria is moving toward civilian tyranny and courting military intervention, he continued, as a result of the actions taken in Rivers State.
Sara-Igbe concurred that it is evident that democracy is in danger when leaders disregard the constitution’s provisions, in light of recent claims that Nigerian democracy is dead made by former President Oluesegun Obasanjo and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
He stated that “Nigeria is trending toward dictatorship.” The brothers of the military are being invited by the civilian dictatorship. The invitation from the inside rat to the outer rat is analogous to this.
The leaders are no longer abiding by the constitution, democracy is under danger, and law and order is disintegrating.
According to Sara-Igbe, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government all broke the constitution and did not fulfill their assigned duties under the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
“They have transgressed constitutional rights. There is a constitutional violation by the president. Sections 188 and 189 demonstrate that the President has broken the constitution with relation to Rivers State.
The president is not authorized to suspend or fire a governor, even if you look at sections 183, 188, and 189, which deal with the governor’s dismissal or illegibility.
They are even considering permanently suspending him at this point, which would be a sign that democracy is dead. Like them. We are rapidly descending into autocracy.
It is evident that every branch of the government, including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, has broken the law. The legislature disregarded Section 305 of the Constitution, which stipulates that a two-thirds majority of members must vote on matters pertaining to a state of emergency. Due to the voice vote, we were unable to determine the number of voters, absentees, or even present.
“All of these occurred without the proper legal procedure being followed. We no longer have the rule of law. My advice is that Mr. President should exercise caution.
“He should go back because one man cannot destroy the nation.” He must refrain from harming both his own reputation and the democratic system as a whole.
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It’s still possible.
However, the Ijaw leader urged President Tinubu to make a quick change of direction before the nation is further embroiled in constitutional mistakes.
The current situation is illegal and a violation of the Nigerian constitution. So the head of state can make reparations, Mr. President.
By disregarding the Supreme Court’s ruling, Mr. President broke the law once more. The Supreme Court ordered that funds be withheld from the Rivers State administration until the budget was submitted.
“Mr. President disregarded the Supreme Court and issued funds without a budget. All of them are violations of the Constitution. The reason behind the president’s actions is his awareness of the National Assembly’s compromise and constitutional violations. “On its own, the judiciary has lost shape to the executive,” he argued.
