Rivers emergency rule: Lawyers stage protest at US Embassy, Abu

Abuja, Nigeria - A group of legal practitioners, operating under the banner of Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), staged a peaceful protest at the United States Embassy in Abuja on Friday. Their demonstration was in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Speaking during the protest, the lawyers asserted that President Tinubu acted within his constitutional powers, citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which they claim grants the president discretionary authority to declare a state of emergency when public safety and order are under threat.

Led by Mr. Beeior Orpin, the group presented a petition to the U.S. Ambassador. In their petition, they argued that President Tinubu's intervention was necessary because Rivers State, under the leadership of the suspended Governor Siminilayi Fubara, was nearing a state of anarchy. The protesting lawyers alleged that the governor had demolished the legislative arm of government and acted as a "total tyrant." They further referenced what they described as a "damning judgment" from the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which they claimed characterized Fubara as a despot.

The Public Interest Lawyers emphasized the shared democratic principles and values between Nigeria and the United States, both being constitutional democracies. They stressed that President Tinubu deserves the support of the U.S., stating:

"Lives and property were in grave danger in Rivers State before the President’s intervention. Since then, calm has returned, and the process of achieving enduring peace and restoring law and order is underway."

The group concluded by expressing their gratitude to the President for his "timely action" and urged the United States, as a "bastion of democracy," to support his efforts in establishing law and order in Nigeria.