By Felix Durumbah,Abuja, and Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Former governor of Bayelsa State and now senator representing Bayelsa West, Senator Seriake Dickson, said he led a walkout from the Senate on March 20, to protest the chamber’s approval of President Bola Tinubu’s request to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Senators okayed Tinubu’s demand through a voice vote rather than the
constitutionally-stipulated two-thirds majority for a decision of such magnitude.
Washing his hands of their action, Senator Dickson, in a statement on Friday, March 21, dismissed the Senate’s action as clearly unconstitutional.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency and suspending elected officials in Rivers State flouted the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Senators such as Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aminu Tambuwal and others joined Dickson in his protest, opposing the Senate resolution.
Dickson stated, in the statement, that he had earlier objected during a closed session, contending that the declaration went below constitutional requirements.
Thumbing up Sen. Tambuwal for his support in challenging the legality of the declaration, Dickson pointed especially to the aspect involving the suspension of elected officials in Rivers State.
He wrote: “I left the plenary before the Senate President was directed to report the outcome because I didn’t want to be present while what I opposed is being reported.
“I believe Senator Tambuwal, Senator Abaribe, and others equally left too.”
Though he referred to moves by the Senate leadership to modify the declaration due to concerns raised by dissenting senators, Dickson waved off these as not addressing the profoundly important matter of constitutionality -the grundnorm of any democracy.
His words: “The beauty of democracy is such that the minority will have their say while the majority will have their way.
“I would have wished for a more robust and open debate so that all views and opinions could be openly canvassed.”
He lambasted Senate President Godswill Akpabio for attempting to censor him during plenary, alleging that he (Akpabio) was unfair and misrepresented his statements when he tried to raise a point of order to enable Senate go into an executive session.
The statement read: “The Senate President was very unfair to me by trying to censor my freedom of expression.
“No senator needs the permission of the Senate President to express an opinion on a topical matter of national interest.”
According to him, he will meet with the Senate President to officially express displeasure so as to prevent a recurrence.
Rallying Nigerians to arise and defend democracy, Sen. Dickson urged them not to be dismayed by the country’s current direction of democracy.
Meanwhile, a South-West chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has described last Tuesday’s suspension of democratically-elected officials in Rivers State by President Tinubu as being too hasty.
He appealed to the President to temper justice with mercy.
Oguntoyinbo said his fear was hinged on the fact that President Tinubu’s action might be setting a bad precedent that might lead to the truncation of the current democracy.
He said he was gravely concerned about the suspension by the President of the governor of Rivers State, Sir Sim Fubara, his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
He opined that the President could reduce this to three months for the warring factions to learn their lessons.
Oguntoyinbo, who was the NNPP governorship candidate in Ogun State in the 2023 elections, said “the happenings in Rivers State have not gone beyond what the President can resolve with a meeting between the two warring factions,” warning that suspending democratic government with a proclamation might have implications for democracy.
While speaking with journalists on Friday, March 21, he said the president had taken action, but that to him, the president’s action looked too hasty and “he could still soften the penalty.”
Oguntoyinbo said: “The President’s action concerning declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State, to me, is too hasty. The state of emergency should have been the last option.
“President Tinubu has not exhausted all other options before that declaration and I have fear for this nascent democracy.
“I know President Tinubu was an arrowhead in the struggle for this democracy. He suffered, went on exile and faced many personal inconveniences with others to send the military to the barracks. He needs to do more to protect this democracy.
“What is happening between the House of Assembly and Governor Sim Fubara has not gone to the extent of warranting the declaration of state of emergency. Political disagreements, legislative conflicts, or Executive-Legislative tensions do not constitute a justification for emergency rule.
“Most Nigerians know that if President Tinubu called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, and Governor Fubara to order, the crisis will stop.
“If we start declaring a state of emergency on issue like this, we may not have any state with a democratic structure in future.
“What happened in Oyo State between former Governor Rasidi Ladoja and the Oyo State House of Assembly during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure was more serious than what is happening in Rivers and President Obasanjo didn’t declare state of emergency in Oyo.
“My fear is that President Tinubu should not be seen to be setting bad precedent for future leaders to hammer on in removing opposition governors through the back doors.
“I implore President Tinubu to do all within his power to restore democratic governance in Rivers State as soon as possible.
“The current action may lead to voters’ apathy in future elections. All hands must be on deck to sustain and save this democracy.”
