Ubani Defends Tinubu’s State of Emergency in Rivers, Says It Prevented Governance Collapse

 

 

Ubani Defends Tinubu’s State of Emergency in Rivers, Says It Prevented Governance Collapse

 

 

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Monday Ubani, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, describing it as a necessary measure to prevent the collapse of governance in the state.

 

In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Ubani said the president acted after noting persistent dysfunction in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

 

“From the president’s perspective, the situation had reached a point where the House of Assembly was not cooperating with the governor. Recall the Supreme Court ruling that it was improper for the governor to operate the state administration with only four members in the House. Even the appropriation that was passed was deemed invalid,” Ubani explained.

 

He further noted that efforts to broker peace between the warring factions in the state, including a memorandum of understanding drafted at the instance of the president, failed to yield results.

 

“Every day, there were reports of instability in Rivers State. The president, anticipating that continued dysfunction could escalate, took a pre-emptive step by declaring a state of emergency,” Ubani added.

 

The SAN emphasised that the move was aimed at safeguarding both governance and economic assets in the state.