A group of Nigerian lawyers has called on the United States and the international community to pressure the Nigerian government to rescind its decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In a protest march to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja today, the lawyers, under the auspices of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, claimed that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu is unconstitutional and undermines democratic principles.
Led by their Country Director, Barr. Uche Chukwu Udeh Sylvester, the lawyers argued that the suspension of Governor Fubara and the State Assembly represents a brazen attempt to subvert constitutional order.
In a letter addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump, they urged him to intervene and pressure the Nigerian government to restore democratic governance in Rivers State.
The lawyers also condemned the National Assembly for ratifying the president’s decision, describing it as an assault on democracy.
They demanded that President Tinubu reconsider his position and allow Governor Fubara to continue in office as the democratically elected governor of Rivers State.
“In an era where democracy is supposed to reign supreme and deliver dividends to the masses, we have found ourselves at a crossroads—a sobering moment of reckoning where constitutional order is being tested in the most brazen manner,” the letter stated.
“The president, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has taken an unprecedented and unlawful step by suspending a democratically elected governor, deputy governor, and an entire state House of Assembly under the guise of emergency rule. What emergency? Neither Nigerians nor the people of Rivers State have seen or felt any such emergency.”
“In our legal framework—and we stand by this—no constitutional provision, statute, or known convention gives the president the power to unilaterally dissolve the structures of an elected state government.”
“This kind of action could only have occurred during the era of military juntas. But we are not under the grip of a military dictatorship. At present, Nigeria is governed by a constitutional democracy operating under a presidential system.”
“President Bola Tinubu should not have taken such a decision. Democracy is a learning process, and the judiciary has demonstrated the capacity to resolve conflicts.”
“The president should have allowed the state’s democratic institutions to resolve the matter. It is noteworthy that until recently, there was a crisis in the local government administration in Osun State, which did not lead to a declaration of a state of emergency.”
The post Lawyers Protest At U.S. Embassy, Demand Reversal Of ‘Unconstitutional’ Rivers State Emergency And Restoration Of Gov Fubara appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
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