Human rights activists, including Aisha Yesufu, co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, have again condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and subsequent suspension of Governor, deputy and House of Assembly.
The activists under the aegis of the Citizens and Civil Society Organisations demanded the immediate reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
Speaking on Saturday at a press conference, they also condemned the federal lawmakers’ actions, saying they failed the people.
Yesufu warned that if the majority of Nigerians allow the President and the National Assembly to get away with the emergency rule, it would set a bad precedent.
“I am sure every Nigerian feels sadness at what is happening currently in our country,” Yesufu said.
“The democracy that we have today was fought for by a lot of people. It is only fair that we safeguard our democracy and ensure that the rule of law remains sacrosanct.”
She emphasised that “if we do not fix this polity and we say “it’s none of our business, the things happening in Nigeria today will continue to happen, where some few citizens who are supposedly elected into office to serve the people, begin to serve only their self-interest.
“We must understand that under a democracy, the Constitution is sacrosanct and the Constitution must be followed the way it is. This is not the democracy that a lot of people fought for, and some died for us to have. This constitutional rascality has to stop.”
Anthony Ubani, Executive Director of FixPolitics, also spoke out against the state of emergency.
“We demand an immediate reversal of the unconstitutional removal of the governor, deputy governor, and House of Assembly members in Rivers State,” he said.
“The President does not have the power to dismiss elected state officials arbitrarily. His actions are dictatorial and illegal and must be resisted by all Nigerians.”
Ubani warned that if the President’s actions go unchallenged, they would become the norm. “If Rivers is silenced today, no state is safe tomorrow,” he said.
