Rivers emergency rule: Lawyers stage protest at US Embassy, Abuja

Legal practitioners under the aegis of Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) on Friday staged a peaceful protest at the United States Embassy in Abuja, in solidarity with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The lawyers, who spoke during the protest, asserted that under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President has the discretionary powers to declare a state of emergency if public safety and order are under threat.

Led by Mr. Beeior Orpin, the group submitted a petition to the U.S. Ambassador, arguing that President Tinubu had to intervene because Rivers State, under the suspended Governor Siminilayi Fubara, was teetering on the brink of anarchy. They alleged that the governor demolished the legislative arm of government and acted as a total tyrant.

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They further referred to a damning judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which they claimed described Fubara as a despot.

The lawyers noted that Nigeria, like the United States, is a constitutional democracy that adheres to similar democratic principles and values.

Emphasizing that President Tinubu deserves the support of the U.S., they stated:
“Lives and property were in grave danger in Rivers State before the President’s intervention. Since then, calm has returned, and the process of achieving enduring peace and restoring law and order is underway.

“We thank the President for his timely action and urge the United States, as the bastion of democracy, to support him in entrenching law and order in our country.”