Kinsmen of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have said the approach of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in resolving the ongoing political crisis in the state, lacks principles of democracy.
The kinsmen, under the auspices of Opobo Elder Statesmen 4 Sim, also rejected in its entirety, the resolutions reached during the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The denouncement by the governor’s kinsmen stemmed from what they asserted as a lack of legal grounding within the agreement, and the heated debate over its legitimacy.
The group, in a communique issued after its emergency meeting in Port Harcourt yesterday, said within the constitutional framework, the President lacked the authority to meddle in the internal affairs of a state.
The communique was jointly signed by the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the group, Alabo Reuben Mietamuno Saturday-Jaja, and the Chairman, Alabo Edwin Cockeye Brown, as well as other executive council members.
The elders emphasized that Tinubu’s role primarily involves overseeing federal appointees and does not extend to dictating terms to a governor.
Pointing to constitutional limitations, the communiqué insisted that the President’s agreement cannot supersede court rulings, particularly those relating to legal proceedings such as impeachment or legislative
matters.
They challenged even the directive to withdraw court cases, highlighting the constitutional provision that mandates vacant seats for legislators who decamped without adhering to party division or merger protocols.
The communiqué further insisted that only members of the Edison
Ehie-led House of Assembly should be acknowledged as authentic representatives, delegitimizing the positions of decamped legislators led by Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule.
