KEY POINTS

• Suspending the governor of Rivers State is against Nigeria’s constitution.
• South-South leaders told Tinubu to end emergency rule right away.
• People who disagree with the courts say they didn’t pay attention to the suspension of the governor of Rivers State.

Political leaders, activists, and lawyers in Nigeria’s South-South region are putting more and more pressure on President Bola Tinubu to lift the state of emergency in Rivers right away and bring back Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The governor, his deputy, and members of the State Assembly were all suspended in March. This happen because of a political disagreement that has since been publicly resolved. But Tinubu’s decision not to lift the suspension of the Rivers State governor, even though Fubara and his political mentor, Nyesom Wike, said they had made up, has been widely criticized.

Suspension of Fubara called illegal by South-South leaders

Joseph Ambakederimo, the leader of the South-South Reawakening Group, told  that the emergency rule should have been lifted by now. “Now is the time.” He said, “Rivers is calm, the budget has passed, and there is no reason for this to keep going.”

He made it clear that it is up to Governor Fubara to decide if he agrees with Wike or the APC politically. Ambakederimo said, “The president should act in good faith,” and he urged elders to keep working with the presidency in a positive way.

Prof. Benjamin Okaba, president of the Ijaw National Congress, agreed with this view and said that what the president did was a direct violation of the constitution. “We didn’t like it then and we still don’t. He said, “Things must go back to normal.”

Legal voices slam inaction by court and lawmakers

Eric Omare, who used to be the president of the Ijaw Youth Council, said that the suspension had more to do with the law than with politics. He said, “No matter what Tinubu does, the action is still illegal.” “This was never just a problem between a godfather and his political son. We live in a democracy, not a monarchy.

He was upset that the Supreme Court didn’t look into the issue. “The people who filed the case must see it through to the end.” “Rivers State is not private property,” Omare also said.

Alaowei Cleric, a lawyer who works on human rights, said the bigger picture was bad. “Counting down the months until the emergency ends only makes an illegal act seem right. Furthermore he said, “That’s executive rascality.”

South-South leaders told Tinubu to save democracy

Blessing Adima, an activist from Delta, said that if the delays keep happening, Tinubu’s reputation in the area will suffer. “This suspension of the Rivers State governor is against our constitution,” she said. “After the reconciliation, Tinubu should have acted quickly.”

She said that a lot of people in Rivers are upset that the National Assembly, not the state legislature, passed the 2025 budget. Adima also said, “The longer time goes by, the more unhappy the voters get.”

Finally people in the South-South are very clear about how they feel. The suspension was not necessary, the emergency is no longer needed, and the longer Tinubu waits, the more damage he does to Nigeria’s democratic credibility.