Neither of the Senate nor House of Representatives that make up the Nigerian Federal legislative arm addressed the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu notwithstanding the heat the development has generated in the country.
The Point reports that while the Senate on Wednesday suspended its plenary and announced that the debate on the matter has been shifted to Thursday, the House of Representatives also failed to deliberate on the issue during Wednesday’s session.
Senate’s postponement of the debate was announced after the Senate leadership delayed the commencement of its plenary for about two hours when the majority of the serving senators across party lines had not fully taken their seats.
The debate was delayed till 3pm without much explanation when the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, (APC Ekiti Central) who sponsored the motion, moved to step it down by citing Order 1(b) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended).
The motion was seconded by Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), and the chamber moved on to the next item without further debate.
There was, however, a palpable fear that the House may not meet the requirement on Thursday.
Eventually, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio put the postponement of the debate and suspension of the plenary to voice vote, which was affirmatively responded to by many of the Senators.
Similar, the green chamber did not discuss the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State despite earlier assurances that it would be addressed.
The House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, had previously stated that the matter would be debated during the day’s plenary.
Following Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, where he suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and state lawmakers, Rotimi confirmed that the National Assembly had been formally informed.
“The National Assembly was duly consulted by the President. Mr President’s formal letter, informing the House of Representatives of his decision and seeking approval in line with Section 305 of the Constitution, has been transmitted and will be read during plenary tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19, 2025,” Rotimi had said.
Findings revealed that the discussion was postponed due to poor attendance at the plenary.
It was observed that fewer than 120 lawmakers were present in the 360-member chamber.
Sources said lawmakers decided to push the discussion to Thursday’s session when more members are expected to attend.
On Tuesday, Tinubu imposed a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
He stated that the decision was aimed at restoring stability in the state, which has been plagued by political unrest due to disputes between the governor and lawmakers.
As part of the emergency measures, Tinubu appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibokette Ibas, as the state’s administrator.
