The National Assembly has vehemently stated that there will be no support from its hollowed chambers of any attempt to declare a state of emergency rule in Rivers State by the Presidency. This came even as the governor of Niger, Babangida Aliyu expressed his observation that the police commissioner, Joseph Mbu had effectively become “governor of the state”.
11 opposition governors had Thursday said, there was an “ill-disguised attempt to create a state of emergency in Rivers State by plunging the state into a needless and avoidable crisis.”
However the special adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak said there was no such conspiracy in the presidency. Yet the opposition continues to believe this is the endgame of the executive.
Senate Minority Whip, Senator Ganiyu Solomon said Friday that it was not on the agenda of the Senate to even consider such a declaration.
He said, “The President cannot declare a state of emergency on his own without the support of the National Assembly.
“We are not contemplating a state of emergency in Rivers; this is without prejudice to the expected report of the Senate committee tasked to investigate the crisis in that state.”
Another Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba said,
“We sent our committee on a fact-finding mission. That is all we know at the moment. We are not aware of any plans to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.
“We have taken a position and we have to await the report of the committee that we have assigned to investigate the matter.”
Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogor, said, “The situation in Rivers State does not call for a state of emergency. We have not reached there yet and there are no signs that we will reach there.”