Former Governor of Rivers state and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In a statement released on Wednesday, March 19, Amaechi described the move as “undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a brazen violation of Nigeria’s Constitution.” He called on the National Assembly, state governors, and stakeholders to reject what he termed an “illegal power grab.”
Amaechi argued that President Tinubu had overstepped his constitutional authority by suspending elected state officials. Citing Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, Amaechi emphasized that a governor can only be removed through a clearly defined impeachment process, not by presidential decree.
“With this singular move, Mr. President has technically suspended and truncated democracy in Rivers State. This clearly violates our Constitution, the same Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Mr. President swore to uphold,” Amaechi stated.
He further questioned Tinubu’s use of Section 305, which allows the President to declare a state of emergency, arguing that it does not grant him the power to “dissolve elected arms of government.”
Amaechi accused certain forces of orchestrating a political takeover in the state. He urged governors, lawmakers, and Nigerians across political divides to resist what he described as an “audacious violation of democracy.”
“At this inauspicious moment in our nation’s trajectory, all people of goodwill and conscience should rise to oppose this audacious violation of our Constitution and rape of our democracy. Mr. President must be made to know and understand in unmistakable terms that this illegality cannot stand,” he declared
Amaechi, who previously served as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), commended governors who had spoken out against the suspension. He urged others to join in rejecting the move and preventing “Nigeria’s descent into totalitarianism.”
