Emergency Rule: Tinubu Took Proactive Action, Says Ex-Lawmaker Uwak

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Robinson Uwak has commended President Bola Tinubu for  declaring a State of Emergency in Rivers State, and for suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara to avert breakdown of law and order.

President Tinubu had in a broadcast on Tuesday relied on Section 305(5) of the Constitution in suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

The president nominated former Chief of Naval Staff Ibok-Ette Ibas to serve as sole administrator during the suspension period.

The state has been engulfed in a protracted political crisis, posing serious threats to the stability and economic well-being of the oil-rich state and its citizens.

Reacting, Uwak said the actions of the president were necessary to forestall total breakdown of law and order as well as destruction of critical oil infrastructure in the oil-rich state.

He said the threats made by some elements in the state could not be taken lightly by any serious government, noting that the initial explosion on a gas pipeline was not tackled adequately by the governor.

“No responsible president will fold his hands and allow things to deteriorate resulting in the loss of lives and properties.

“The president acted proactively to arrest the situation because in contemporary governance, the government ought to be proactive rather than reactive. What the president did was to prevent the loss of lives and properties,” he maintained.