Rivers Crisis Escalates as Femi Falana Rejects Tinubu’s Presidential Intervention.
The crisis in Rivers State deepens as renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, challenges the authority of President Bola Tinubu to reinstate 27 lawmakers who had cross-carpeted in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
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In a statement released on Tuesday, Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asserted that any presidential intervention must adhere to the constitutional provisions. He contested the legality of the reinstatement of the lawmakers, declaring it as “alien to the Constitution in every material particular.”
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The Rivers State political landscape has been marred by a protracted feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. The rift resulted in 27 lawmakers defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party in which Wike currently holds a ministerial position.
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The conflict manifested in parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a series of resignations of pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.
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President Tinubu intervened on Monday, meeting with Fubara and Wike at the Aso Villa in Abuja. Following the meeting, he directed the withdrawal of all legal matters instituted by Fubara and his team.
Additionally, Tinubu ordered the recognition of the leadership of Martin Amaewhule in the Rivers State House of Assembly, contradicting the existing leadership under Edison Ehie.
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Femi Falana Challenges Tinubu’s Authority to Reinstate Suspended 27 Lawmakers
However, Falana challenged the presidential directive, emphasizing that the seats of the cross-carpeting members had been declared vacant by the Speaker in accordance with the law. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-elections once the ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court last Friday is quashed.
Falana argued that the cross-carpeting legislators could only retain their seats if they could prove that the sponsoring political party was divided into two or more factions.
He emphasized that, even if all court cases were withdrawn, only a court of law could constitutionally set aside the Speaker’s pronouncement.
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He further called on INEC to conduct a by-election to fill the 27 vacant seats, asserting that the remaining members of the House could conduct legislative business, excluding the impeachment of the governor, which requires the support of two-thirds of the entire House.
As tensions rise, Falana’s legal perspective adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers State.
