A group of legal practitioners, under the aegis of Public Interest Lawyers, has called on the United States of America to support the state of emergency in Rivers State declared by President Bola Tinubu.

The group, led by Beeior Orpin, made the call on Friday in a petition submitted to the U.S Embassy in Abuja after a peaceful walk.

Recall that Mr Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.

Consequently, he announced the appointment of Retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the sole administrator of the state.

The emergency rule was declared following the face-off between the Mr Fubara and the state assembly, resulting in threats of violence and protest by some stakeholders in the state.

Mr Orpin said that under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the president had discretionary powers to proclaim a state of emergency if public safety and public order were in danger.

He said that Mr Tinubu had to wade in because Rivers State, under the suspended governor, was on the verge of anarchy, following the demolition of the legislative arm of government in the state. 

Mr Orpin said that Nigeria and the United States shared similar democratic principles, saying that there was the need for shared support at a time like this.

“Lives and property were in grave danger in Rivers State before the president’s intervention. Since then, calm has returned, and the process of enduring peace, law and order is in progress. We thank the president for his timely action and request that the United States, as the bastion of democracy, support him to entrench law and order in our country,” he said. 

Also speaking, a member of the group, Sandra Ezeoke, explained the rationale behind their decision to draw the attention of the American government to the proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State.

Ms Ezeoke said that they were at the embassy because there had been several misconceptions about the action taken by Mr Tinubu and the National Assembly. 

Ms Ezeoke stated, “The law is trite that any administrative action taken is valid until set aside by a court of law. Right now, the administrative action that has been taken is the state of emergency declared by Tinubu and it remains valid until it is set aside by the court. 

“That matter is in court, and it is not out of place, as members of the public, to start deciding upon it. We chose the US embassy because as we know, the father of democracy is a former president of the U.S. We feel that if there is any country that is going to guide us properly because democracy is not an indigenous idea of Nigeria, it is going to be the U.S.’’ 

The inscriptions on some of the placards carried by the legal practitioners read: “Emergency rule in Rivers State constitutional,” “Section 305 provides for emergency rule,” “Emergency rule in Rivers State is legal” and “Fubara demolished the legislature, it is a danger to democracy.” 

(NAN)