Rivers crisis: Law society urges Tinubu to empower N’Assembly, probe Fubara

 

The Nigerian Law Society (NLS), a body of non-litigation lawyers, has called on President Bola Tinubu to invoke his constitutional powers to allow the National Assembly to assume the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly in order to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

In a letter dated January 11, 2026, and addressed to the President, the association said the request was part of a free legal advisory aimed at forestalling a breakdown of the rule of law in Rivers State.

The NLS urged Tinubu to activate Sections 11(4) and 11(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower the National Assembly to take over the functions of a state legislature where it is unable to effectively discharge its duties.

According to the body, such intervention has become necessary because the 26 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly are allegedly biased against Governor Fubara.

The letter was jointly signed by the President of the NLS, Dahiru Aliyu, and its Executive Director, Tonye Jaja.

The association also appealed to the President to appoint the Chief Judge of another state to constitute and head a neutral panel to investigate the allegations against the governor, citing what it described as “veiled allegations of impartiality” against the Chief Judge of Rivers State.

The lawyers recalled that in March 2025, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly had petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged forgery and falsification of the Chief Judge’s age of retirement.

According to the NLS, the controversy surrounding the Chief Judge has eroded public confidence, making it expedient for a neutral Chief Judge from another state to conduct any investigation required under Section 188 of the Constitution.

The association warned that failure to act promptly could trigger another political crisis in the state, with grave economic and security consequences.

It recalled that a previous breakdown of law and order in Rivers State led to financial losses, including over ₦300 million allegedly incurred by the state government after the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) relocated its annual general conference from Rivers to Enugu.

Describing its intervention as a patriotic duty, the NLS said it was offering free legal guidance to avert “another full-blown state of emergency in Rivers State in this new year, 2026.”

Copies of the letter were also sent to the leadership of the National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Rivers State Governor and Attorney-General, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, as well as international bodies including the United Nations (UN) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).