President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in the dispute between Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has stirred controversy. Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), including human rights lawyer Femi Falana, express concern that the truce brokered by the president may violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria,Daily Trust reports.
In an eight-point peace agreement between Governor Simi Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike in Abuja, the parties agreed to withdraw pending court cases, drop the impeachment notice on Fubara, reinstate Martin Amaewhule (a Wike loyalist) as speaker, and restore remuneration for assembly members and staff.
This implies that the incumbent speaker, Ehie O. Edison, loyal to Fubara and supported by the court, will step aside. Despite the state chairman of the PDP being a signatory to the agreement, the national PDP rejects the truce, insisting on fresh polls for the 27 state assembly seats declared vacant after lawmakers defected to the APC.
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Falana argues that Tinubu has no constitutional role in the Rivers crisis; his intervention is advisory. He deems the reinstatement of the cross-carpeting lawmakers unconstitutional. Other legal experts and an associate professor caution against sidelining existing legal situations and stress the political nature of the impasse.
The PDP insists on fresh elections, asserting that the former lawmakers vacated their seats willingly. An elder statesman, Edwin Clark, and APC chieftain Eze Chukwuemeka Eze criticize the settlement’s terms, with Clark calling them unconstitutional and obnoxious.
In Port Harcourt, protesters express dissatisfaction with the resolution, seeing it as favoring Wike and stifling Fubara. However, Governor Fubara commits to peace, stating that he is willing to pay any price for the state’s tranquility and development.
