THURSDAY March 20, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng

The Senate and House of Representatives, Thursday, March 20, 2025, passed and adopted the state of emergency proclamation of President Bola Tinubu in Rivers state, and the six-month suspension he slammed on Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Hours earlier, the House of Representatives passed and adopted the proclamation through a voice vote with 243 members in attendance.

The House also made recommendations to the proclamation.

The House recommended that a national committee should be set up to mitigate and restore peace back to Rivers State.

Secondly, the National Assembly should take over the activities of the state Assembly within six months.

At the upper chamber, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage after a closed-door session that lasted over one hour.

According to him, the Senate relied on its Orders 133, 134, 135 and 136.

Earlier, Akpabio disclosed that Tinubu had written the Senate a letter of proclamation on the six-month suspension he slammed on Fubara.

The letter read, aloud at plenary by Akpabio, said: “In compliance with the provisions of Section 305, Subsection 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, I hereby forward, for the Constitution of the Senate, copies of the official Gazette of the State of Emergency Proclamation 2025.

“The main features of the proclamation are as follows:

“A declaration of a State of Emergency in one State of the Federation, namely, River State;

“The suspension from office of the Governor, his Deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly;

“An appointment of Vice-Admiral Iboete Iba, as the Administrator to administer the State something to any instruction or regulation as made from time to time be issued by me;

“While I look forward to the expeditious Constitution of the Senate, please accept, Distinguished Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Akpabio, after reading the letter, said: “This letter is committed to the Committee of the entire Senate for Immediate passage.”