The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) USA has outrightly condemned Presidents Tinubu’ s declaration of a state of emergency and the suspension of Governor Fubara and assembly members in River State.
In a statement released by Lloyd F Ukwu Eqr, President / CEO of NADECO AUSA, the Organisation accused President Tinubu of using the state of emergency as a pretext to undermine democratic rules in the state.
According to NADECO USA, the immediate suspension of Fubara and members of the River State house of assemble is a clear violation of the Nigerian constitution. They note that this action is an attempt to collaborate with Minister of the federal capital, Nyesome Wike to grab power from the governor, undermining the rule of law.
NADECO argues that the procedures for declaring state of emergency as enshrined in the Nigeria constitution is allowed only if it met certain conditions, pointing out that “before Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution allows a state of emergency, the following conditions must be met for it to occur.
In Section 305(3),) of the Constitution, it outlines specific conditions, including:
- War or external aggression against Nigeria.
- Imminent danger of invasion or war
- A breakdown of public order and safety to such an extent that ordinary legal measures are insufficient.
- A clear danger to Nigeria’s existence.
- Occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity affecting a state or a part of it.
- Such other public danger that constitutes a threat to the Federation. “These conditions appear not to have been stating that ” the only thing that stood to prevent democracy which is the House of Assembly has fallen”.
They view it as an attack on the democratic principles on separation of powers, checks and balances.
However, the group urges the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to take action, citing the example of the Pakistan Bar Council’s successful resistance to President Pervez Musharraf’s attempts to undermine the judiciary in 2007.
Invariably, NADECO questions President Tinubu’s competence and impartiality in handling the crisis in Rivers state, highlighting his admission that Minister Wike ignored his attempts to broke peace. The organization calls for the President to act in good faith and respect the democratic institutions of Nigeria.
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