The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has defended the decision to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State, stating that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, cannot be held responsible.
On Tuesday, March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared the State of Emergency in Rivers, citing the ongoing political crisis. The president also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly for six months, appointing former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ibas, as sole administrator.
However, many critics accused the president of siding with Wike and blaming the crisis on Fubara. In an interactive session with State House Correspondents on Thursday, Fagbemi dismissed these claims, stating that Wike was not responsible for the situation. He pointed to Governor Fubara as the cause of the political deadlock that led to the emergency declaration.
Fagbemi said, “There are occasions when we must be clear on national issues. Was Wike the one who ordered the demolition of the State Assembly? I don’t see the involvement of the Minister of the FCT in what happened.” He further explained that the Supreme Court had concluded that Governor Fubara had anticipated impeachment and ordered the demolition of the House of Assembly to prevent it.
He added that if the Supreme Court had found that there was no functioning government in Rivers, then the president had no choice but to act decisively. “The President made a bold decision. We must respect the Supreme Court’s judgment,” Fagbemi said.
Fagbemi also suggested that those dissatisfied with the emergency declaration should take their concerns to the National Assembly. “If the National Assembly believes the President’s action was wrong, it won’t have the necessary two-thirds majority to support it. We expect something to come out within 48 hours,” he concluded.