Following the threat by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, AGF, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, that President Bola Tinubu would declare a state of emergency in any state should the need arise, opposition parties’ leaders across states controlled by them and residents have vowed to resist any such action.
They noted that the remark by the AGF should be taken as a threat to democracy, adding that it portrays Nigeria as a country under dictatorship.
The AGF had warned that the Federal Government would not hesitate to mete out sanctions, including a declaration of a state of emergency, in any state that threatens the economic interest of the country.
Fagbemi spoke in the defence of the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State which saw Tinubu suspending Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy and the state House of Assembly.
The action of the President drew widespread condemnation across the Nigeria as it is widely believed that whereas Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution provides for emergency rule declaration under certain circumstances, there is no such provision in the document for the suspension of a state governor, the deputy, the House of Assembly or any other democratic structure.
Meanwhile, the Sole Administrator appointed for Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), took a cue from Tinubu when, last Wednesday, he dissolved all democratic structures in the state.
Fagbemi had said: “So, it is Rivers State’s turn today. It can be anybody’s turn tomorrow.
“Let the signal be clear for those who want to foment trouble, who want to make the practice of democracy and enjoyment of dividends of democracy a mirage to think twice.
“If it happens again, I will encourage Mr President to do the same, maybe this time with even greater vigour and vitality.
“So, the question of separating or treating or giving preferential treatment to anybody does not arise.
“You give preferential treatment to anybody, you are giving preferential treatment to illegality. Just call a spade a spade.”
But opposition leaders drawn from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and residents of states where opposition parties rule, said Nigerians won’t succumb to the antics of the ruling party.
Whereas the government at the federal level is controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC), of Nigeria’s 36 states, 11 are governed by the opposition.
They include Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Adamawa, Zamafara, Osun, Kano and Taraba.
Speaking on the matter, Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Akwa State, Ekemini Uba, said the AGF was instilling fear in opposition parties.
Uba, who admitted that a state of emergency is declared in a state to restore peace and stability, however, advised that it should not be used as a political tool against the opposition.
His words: “The procedure to declare a state of emergency in any state is spelt out in the Constitution clearly.
“It is about restoring peace and stability. Let them not use it as a political tool against the opposition parties.
“So when they are saying they will declare a state of emergency in any state that threatens, they are merely trying to instill fear in the opposition.
“It is a way of stifling the voice of PDP and a few other opposition parties that have been speaking out lately and criticizing their government’s actions.”
Another stakeholder of the PDP in the state, who pleaded anonymity on the issue, angrily said: “Why have they not declared a state of emergency in Borno, Benue?”
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