When ‘Democrats’ Support Desecration of Democracy
It was surprising to hear that the now suspended Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly that was equally affected by the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu last week following the protracted political crisis that gripped the state, supported the president’s action.
In a statement by its suspended speaker, the assembly blamed the equally suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his “despotic and tyrannical actions”, including serial disobedience of court judgments and orders, failure to govern in line with his oath of office, and unconstitutional obstruction of the legislative arm of government which precipitated the crisis.
“The governor’s despotic and tyrannical actions, as confirmed by the courts, have unconstitutionally hindered the Rivers State House of Assembly from functioning, underlies the situation,” Amaewhule said.
He described the president’s decision as being in the “best interest of the country” and urged residents to remain calm as the sole administrator takes charge.
Parliament, whether at the federal or state level is supposed to be the bastion of democracy.
For the lawmakers to support the state of emergency that suspended them in a democracy is not only curious and suspicious but also questioned the sincerity of their motive in the year-long struggle with the suspended governor.
The irony of the political crisis in Rivers State is that those who allegedly engineered the crisis by plotting unsuccessfully to impeach the governor on Monday, October 30, 2023 and Monday, March 17, 2025 ended up getting themselves ‘impeached’ for six months by the president‘s declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
It is really laughable that the same “democrats” who were suspended in the course of their championing for democracy and good governance came out to say that they supported what the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) viewed as an undemocratic action.
One would have thought that those lawmakers who claimed to be fighting for democracy should not welcome the sacking of all democratic institutions.
