Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, a former Governor of Sokoto State and 2023 Presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
New Telegraph recalls President Tinubu on Tuesday declared an emergency rule, after suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.
The president subsequently appointed retired Naval Chief, Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the state’s sole administrator to be in charge of the affairs of the state for the next six months.
President Tinubu’s decision has sparked widespread debate among politicians, civil society groups, and legal experts.
Questioning its constitutional validity, Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives who spoke in Abuja argued that the process leading to the emergency rule did not meet constitutional requirements.
He emphasized that the Senate had failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds majority approval, as stipulated by the constitution.
“I will be speaking to you from the point of view of being a lawyer, a member of the Body of Benchers, and a life Bencher for that matter not necessarily as a lawmaker in the 10th Senate,” he said.
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“What is required is that you must obtain and have two-thirds of all members, in either of the two chambers, in support of the resolution.”
Tambuwal questioned whether the Senate had met this requirement, stating, “From what I saw, there was no such number on the floor on that day.”
He further stressed that the constitution mandates that two-thirds of all Senate members—not just those present and voting—must approve such a resolution.
He also recalled past instances where the National Assembly adhered to due process before declaring states of emergency. “During President Obasanjo’s administration, two-thirds had to be garnered in both chambers before a state of emergency was declared.
The same happened under President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013 when emergency rule was imposed in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States,” he noted.
Tambuwal criticized the National Assembly for not following established precedents, stating, “What stops the current National Assembly from making reference to its own records? I can’t understand that. It’s part of the problem.”
His remarks add to the growing debate over the legality of the emergency rule in Rivers State, with many observers calling for a review of the process.
