THE Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has justified President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in River State.
He said the decision was a move to stop the state from implosion.
Fagbemi, a senior advocate, stated this on Wednesday, March 19, while addressing newsmen in Abuja.
The minister said the president acted in time to save the oil-rich state from collapse, adding that Tinubu made the declaration because the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and other stakeholders failed to stop the crisis that provoked the declaration.
He said if the same situation presented itself again anywhere in the country, he would encourage the president to take the same action.
“You have to behave responsibly and you must have the guts. If it happens again, I would encourage Mr. President to do the same.
“Now, when do you think he (President Tinubu) should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so,” he argued.
The AGF said Tinubu acted timeously after giving opportunity to all the parties involved in the crisis to resolve it.
Addressing the argument that the president did not attribute any blame to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the crisis, Fagbemi said the minister was not directly involved.
“You see, there are occasions when, especially when it comes to national issues, we have to come out plainly and sincerely.
“Where do you put the Minister of FCT in this case? Was he the one who asked for the demolition of the House of Assembly? Was he the one who said the governor should not present his budget to the House of Assembly? Was he the one who advised the governor not to go through the House of Assembly for purposes of ratifying the commissioner nominees?” he asked.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday.
The declaration followed protracted political turbulence in the state.
In a nationwide broadcast, the president suspended the state governor, Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
However, he retained the state judiciary.
Tinubu blamed the governor and Wike for allowing the political crisis in the state to escalate.
He particularly criticised Fubara for failing to take action after an oil facility was blown up in the state on Monday night.
A reporter with the ICIR
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