RIVERS: LAWYERS PROTEST FOR RESTORATION OF DEMOCRATIC RULE, URGE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE
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A coalition of human rights lawyers under the banner of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy staged a protest in Abuja on Wednesday, demanding the reinstatement of democratic governance in Rivers State.
The group called on the United States and the international community to mount pressure on President Bola Tinubu to reverse his suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
President Tinubu had imposed a six-month suspension on Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the State Assembly following a declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
During the march to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, the group—led by Country Director Barr. Uche Chukwu Udeh Sylvester—told journalists that the emergency declaration was unconstitutional and posed a threat to democratic principles.
They argued that no justifiable threat existed to merit the emergency rule and accused the federal government of bypassing legal procedures.
In a letter addressed to former U.S. President Donald Trump, the lawyers urged the U.S. to intervene and influence Tinubu to reinstate democratic rule in Rivers State.
They described the suspension of the governor and Assembly as a deliberate move to erode constitutional governance.
The group also criticized the National Assembly for endorsing the state of emergency, labeling the action as a grave violation of democratic norms.
They called on President Tinubu to reconsider his actions and allow Governor Fubara to resume his duties as the legitimately elected leader of Rivers State.
Parts of the letter addressed to Trump read, “In an era where democracy is supposed to reign supreme giving democracy dividends to the masses, we have found ourselves at a crossroads, a sober moment of reckoning where constitutional order is being tested most brazenly.
“The President, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has taken a most unprecedented and unlawful step with the suspension of a democratically elected governor, deputy governor and an entire state House of Assembly under the guise of Emergency Rule. What emergency? Nigerians and Rivers people did not see or feel any such emergency.
“In our law books and we stand by this, no constitutional provision, statute or any known convention gives the president the powers to single-handedly dissolve the structures of an elected state government.
“This could only have happened during the days of military juntas, but we are not under the firm grip of a military dictatorship. At the moment, the country is being governed under a constitutional democracy that operates a presidential system of government.
“President Bola Tinubu should not have taken the decision because democracy is a learning process, and the judiciary has demonstrated the capability to resolve issues.
“The president should have allowed the various state organs to resolve the issues. It is not worthy that until recently, there was a crisis of local government administration in Osun State, which has not led to a declaration of a state of emergency.”
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