Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Monday Ubani, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it a necessary move to avert a total breakdown of governance.
In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, September 17, Ubani explained that the political paralysis in the state made decisive action unavoidable.
“From the president’s perspective, it reached a point where the House of Assembly was not cooperating with the governor,” he said.
He also highlighted the Supreme Court’s ruling, noting, “It was improper for the governor to run the administration of the state with only four members in the State House of Assembly.
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“Even the appropriation that was passed was regarded as invalid, and so the president took notice of that and the destruction of economic assets.”
Ubani pointed out that Tinubu had attempted to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
“The president also took into consideration that he called the two warring parties to Aso Rock and an MoU was drafted to establish lasting peace. That peace, however, was elusive,” he added.
He concluded, “Given the ongoing turmoil in Rivers State, the president felt that if matters were allowed to continue unchecked, the situation could deteriorate further. His pre-emptive declaration of a state of emergency was therefore justified.”