Despite widespread opposition and concerns about its implications, the House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration in Rivers State.
The lawmaker’s approval follows a letter from Tinubu requesting the Green Chamber to endorse his declaration of a state of emergency to restore peace and harmony in the South-South state.
The motion was passed after a brief debate and amendments, moved by the Majority Leader, during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and attended by 243 members on Thursday.
In addition, the house amended and approved a provision requiring the sole Administrator of Rivers, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd), to report to the National Assembly instead of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as mandated by Section 11, Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution.
The lawmakers endorsement came two days after Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political crisis in the oil-rich South-South state.
The president made the proclamation during a nationwide broadcast, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy Ngozi Odu; and all the members of the House of Assembly for six months.
To prevent any leadership vacuum in the state, he appointed Ibokette Ibas (retd), who was the Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021, as administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state for the first six months.
