Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, has called on the Supreme Court to urgently hear the suit filed against the declaration of a state of emergency and appointment of a sole administrator in Rivers State.
Speaking on the Morning Show, Oseni criticised what he described as a deliberate delay by the apex court, warning that it posed a threat to democracy and the future of Rivers politics.
“When the story of democracy is written in this country, we will ask questions about what the courts did,” he said. “Many PDP governors filed a case against the state of emergency and the sole administrator, yet the Supreme Court has not sat on it.
Are they waiting for the six months to expire? If the court does not hear this matter, it sets a dangerous precedent for other presidents to abuse the clause for political advantage.”
Oseni argued that the delay could undermine the forthcoming local government elections, noting that Rivers elders had already raised constitutional concerns, including the absence of a properly constituted electoral commission and the failure to give the mandatory 90-day notice for polls.
He accused former governor Nyesom Wike of attempting to tighten control over the state’s political structure through the local government system, saying the situation was designed to weaken Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The state of emergency was not to protect Fubara; it was to tilt the political equation in favour of Wike,” Oseni alleged. “He already has the state House of Assembly.
Once he secures the local governments, Fubara will become a lame duck.”
Oseni insisted that the Supreme Court must intervene to save the country’s democratic order. “The court cannot continue to allow critical constitutional matters to be overtaken by events. That is not how to run a democracy,” he said.pp