The Senate, yesterday, after about one hour closed door session, unanimously approved President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of state of emergency in the crisisstricken Rivers State.
The apex legislative Assembly gave the approval a few hours after the House of Representatives also endorsed the emergency declaration in the oil-rich state of Niger Delta.
The approval of the state of emergency, which has attracted so much public outcry and criticism, was done through voice votes put to Senators by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, following resolutions adopted at the closed door session. Akpabio, who announced resolutions adopted at the closed doors session, said:
“The Senate invokes the powers conveyed on it by Section 305 of Section 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), approves the proclamation of a state of emergency declared by Mr President in Rivers State of Nigeria.
“The Senate further directs that the declaration of the state of emergency stated in the proclamation documents and demands of Mr President to review and even to terminate the state of emergency at any given time, but not later than six months.
“The Senate further resolved that Section 11, Subsection 4 be invoked, providing the National Assembly the authority to set up a joint ad hoc committee of both chambers to oversee the administration of Rivers State henceforth.
“The Senate further resolved that a Committee of Eminent Nigerians be set up to reconcile the warring groups within the government of Rivers State within the period of the state of emergency in Rivers State.
“The Senate further resolved that a Committee of Eminent Nigerians to reconcile the warring factions in Rivers State should be set up and carry out their action during the period of state of emergency.
“For final ratification, I put it to the Senate that those in favour of the proclamation of the state of emergency 2025 in Rivers State, should say ‘aye’, which was affirmatively responded to, by all the Senators in the chamber.”
Apparently impressed with the affirmative response to the question on approval of the state of emergency by the Senators, the President of the Senate said: “this approval is done with unanimity without a single nay”.
“Therefore, pursuant to section 60 of the constitution, section 305 (2) and pursuant to our rules, Rule 1 (b) of the standing orders of the senate and also pursuant to Rules 133, 134, 135 and 136 of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the State of Emergency Proclamation in Rivers State was approved and other vital resolutions taken,” he said.
Thereafter the Senate adjourned for one hour and reconvened later to pass votes and proceedings of the earlier session and finally adjourned till Tuesday, March 25, 2025. New Telegraph reports that earlier, before the Senate went into the closed door session, an altercation erupted between the President of the Senate, Akpabio and Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP Bayelsa West).
The contention surfaced when Senator Dickson raised a point of Order after Akpabio read a written gazette on the proclamation of State of Emergency to Senators and called on the Senate Leader to guide the Senate for its expeditious consideration and approval.
While Senator Dickson raised the point of Order, Akpabio told him to sit down and that he had already known where he stood on the State of Emergency, saying that he watched him on television on Wednesday, where he vowed that would not align with that of the Senate on the matter.
Akpabio, who did not know the purpose of his point of order said: “Senator Dickson , please hold on with your point of order, I heard all what you said on the television yesterday that the Senate will not go with you on the issue at hand and we are not going to go with you. “You are a former governor like myself and now a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Please let’s do things in the interest of Nigerians. “ However, when finally allowed to raise the point of order, Dickson drew the attention of the Senate to Orders 133 of the Senate Standing Rules, which required matters of state of emergency to be deliberated upon in a closed door session.
Akpabio, upon hearing that, upheld his point of order, which was later held by the Senate where all its resolutions were taken on the State of Emergency. President Tinubu had on Tuesday, announced the declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers State, following the protracted and seeming intractable political impasse between the Executive and the Legislature.
