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A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oba Maduabuchi, has said that there was no need for declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Featuring on ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise Television on Wednesday, Maduabuchi argued that elections would not have been held in the state if it was ungovernable as claimed.
He said that it was a laughable situation, adding that they are relieved the emergency rule has been lifted.
The senior lawyer stated that president Bola Tinubu was wrong to deny Rivers’ people democracy for 6 months.
“I made it clear that I believe there was no need for any state of emergency in the first place and I don’t see where anybody could have said, governor go and sit down, House of Assembly go and sit down because the place is ungovernable and then you are holding elections.
“It is a laughable situation but we can say we are breathing fresh air, a kind of relief. Let us see where we go from here.
“But that statement by Mr president, with all due respect, to me, he’s simply begging the issue. What was the emergency that Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) came to handle?
“The Supreme Court would have been the proper place to have settled that issue whether the 27 members of the State House of Assembly defected or not.
“If that issue was resolved, we wouldn’t be here today. Whether four people of the State House of Assembly cannot sit, the Constitution tells us what to do.
“The National Assembly takes over the affairs of the state. If the 27 people had not decamped, Fubara would have no option than to work with them,” he said.
No need for emergency rule, Rivers wasn’t ungovernable – Lawyer, Maduabuchi
