Concerned citizens of Rivers State have asked President Bola Tinubu to halt emergency rule in the state and recall Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officers suspended by him.
In their letter to Tinubu, the group demanded a probe of the circumstances that led to the imposition of emergency rule in the state.
The concerned citizens said the President’s action reflected a blatant disregard for the constitutional rights of the people as well as a gross abuse of executive power. They claimed that the state of emergency was declared using “false and illegal justifications, including the alleged pipeline explosion”.
The group said: “Due to the failure to meet constitutional requirements, any attempts by certain individuals to fabricate or create these conditions constitute a criminal act and a severe obstruction of justice. “In our view, this criminality should be treated as more serious than the underlying wrongful and false declaration of a state of emergency.
“We, the people of Rivers State, hereby demand a thorough investigation into who manufactured the nonexistent conditions that misled you into declaring a state of emergency, which has now plunged Rivers State into a state of political uncertainty.
“We respectfully submit that the state of emergency was imposed using false and illegal justifications, including the alleged pipeline explosion.
“Therefore, it should be lifted and the governor reinstated. “The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers could simply be translated as a reward for criminality because the perpetrators of the conditions upon which you based your decision seem to have achieved their ultimate goal.”
It added: “We demand that you immediately rescind the declaration of emergency and restore Governor Fubara and his deputy to their rightful positions alongside all that constitutes civil governance that have broken down in Rivers State as a consequence.
“We urge you to respect the quasi-autonomy of Rivers State and allow the democratic process to proceed without any interference from you, or the Executive branch.
