President Bola Tinubu has formally notified the Senate of the six-month suspension imposed on Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly.
The proclamation was contained in a letter read at plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio before the Senate moved into a closed-door session to deliberate on the matter.
In the letter, Tinubu cited Section 305(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as the legal basis for his decision and outlined the key provisions of the emergency declaration:
A state of emergency has been declared in Rivers State.
Governor Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly are suspended.
Vice-Admiral Iboete Iba has been appointed as the state administrator, subject to directives from the President.
The President urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process, emphasizing the urgency of restoring order in the state.
After reading the letter, Akpabio committed it to the “Committee of the Whole Senate” for immediate passage. However, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) raised a Point of Order, invoking Senate Rule 133 to request a closed-door session for further deliberations.
The Senate plenary, which commenced at noon with the national anthem and prayers, proceeded to review the letter in a confidential session.
The motion for adopting the previous day’s votes and proceedings was moved by Senator Barinada Mpigi (PDP, Rivers South-East) and seconded by Senator Idiat Adebule (APC, Lagos West).
The emergency proclamation has sparked significant debate, with political observers closely monitoring the Senate’s next steps.
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