Lawyers march for return to democratic governance in Rivers

A group of lawyers, known as Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, has taken to the streets to demand the restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State.

The group is calling on the United States and the international community to pressure the Nigerian government to rescind its decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The lawyers, led by their Country Director, Barrister Uche Chukwu Udeh Sylvester, argued that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu is unconstitutional and undermines democracy.

In a letter to former President Donald Trump of the United States, the group urged him to intervene and pressure the Nigerian government to restore democratic rule in Rivers State.

They argued that the suspension of Governor Fubara and the state assembly is a brazen attempt to undermine constitutional order and condemned the National Assembly for ratifying the president’s decision, describing it as an assault on democracy.

The group called on President Tinubu to reconsider his stance and allow Governor Fubara to continue his work as the democratically elected governor of the state.

“In an era where democracy is supposed to reign supreme, delivering dividends to the masses, we have found ourselves at a crossroads—a sober moment of reckoning where constitutional order is being tested most brazenly,” the letter stated.

“The president, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has taken a most unprecedented and unlawful step with the suspension of a democratically elected governor, deputy governor, and an entire state House of Assembly under the guise of emergency rule. What emergency? Nigerians and the people of Rivers State did not see or feel any such emergency.

“No constitutional provision, statute, or any known convention gives the president the power to single-handedly dissolve the structures of an elected state government.

“President Bola Tinubu should not have taken this decision because democracy is a learning process, and the judiciary has demonstrated the capability to resolve issues,” the group stated.

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