The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. Alongside this, the House has also endorsed the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the state assembly.
The decision was made during a plenary session on Thursday, where lawmakers voted by voice to support the president’s proclamation. Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, led the session and invited members to share their views while considering the general principles of the president’s report.
During the discussion, Deputy Spokesman of the House and Benue lawmaker, Philip Agbese, suggested creating a national mediation committee to help resolve the ongoing political crisis between Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly. The House agreed to this suggestion.
Similarly, the Minority Whip of the House proposed that the six-month suspension of the governor and state lawmakers should not be fixed. He stated, “If peace is reached between the two parties, the emergency rule should be lifted before six months.” The House accepted this recommendation as well.
Earlier in the session, Speaker Abbas read a letter from President Tinubu, officially informing the House of the decision to impose emergency rule in Rivers State. Before this, the House had gone into an executive session, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, there was an attempt by Abia lawmaker Obi Agwuncha to halt the debate on the letter. He referred to Section 305 (6b) of the Constitution, which requires two-thirds of House members to be present for such a ⁸decision. However, the Speaker overruled his objection, allowing the debate to continue.
