A legal practitioner and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has said that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, risks having his constitutionally guaranteed four-year tenure cut short by six months if he leaves office on May 29, 2027.
Okonkwo’s remarks come in response to the six-month emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu, during which Governor Fubara was temporarily removed from office and retired naval officer Ibok-Ete Ibas was appointed as administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.
According to Okonkwo, Governor Fubara has the legal right to seek redress in court to reclaim the six months lost during the emergency period, arguing that the time should be added to his tenure to ensure compliance with constitutional provisions.
He insisted that Governor Fubara’s tenure should legally end on November 29, 2027, in line with the Supreme Court’s interpretation that a governor’s four-year term is sacrosanct and must not be abridged.
“This has nothing to do with antagonizing whoever declared the state of emergency, it has something to do with the constitutional provision that he was elected by the Rivers people to serve them for four years, and the four years has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to be sacrosanct, that was why we had staggered election,” Okonkwo said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday.
“Now his six months have been illegally, brutally, without reason, taken away from him. That means you have denied the Rivers people the four years that the constitution gave them the power to be served by a governor.
“The constitution is already clear in section 180 subsection 2, that the term of office is four years; the governor vacates his seat after four years from the day he was sworn in. So, if he leaves by May 29, 2027 he has not served for four years.
“So, I’m saying that Fubara has the right by the constitution to seek redress as to his term of office, and the Rivers people have the right to be served for four years by Fubara, that was what they voted him for. So, in my own opinion and to my understanding his tenure should end on the 29 of November 2027.”
Following a political crisis involving Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, President Bola Tinubu suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the state lawmakers for six months.
On Wednesday, the President Tinubu announced the end of the six-month emergency rule in Rivers.
