Taiwo Popoola
The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security and economic sectors.
Ndume made this call on Friday during an interview on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he also criticized the President’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
“Let the President forget about everything and concentrate on three things – security, welfare of citizens and the economy.
“His attention should go there as number 1, then he should create a state of emergency in those areas,” he stated.
While describing himself as a democrat, Ndume said Tinubu’s declaration of emergency in rule in Rivers was surprising.
According to him, the President acted in a wrong move by that action on March 18 following the protracted political crisis in the state.
Recall that in a nationwide broadcast, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu and all the members of the House of Assembly for six months.
To replace Fubara, the president nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state for the first six months.
Tinubu relied on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to make the proclamation.
Urban Express News Online reports that the section interprets a state of emergency as a situation of national danger, disaster or terrorist attacks in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control
However, Ndume stated that he expected the President to have gathered the political actors and resolved all lingering differences rather than the proclamation.
The lawmaker also denied claims that the political actors ignored Tinubu’s directives before the emergency rule imposition.
“I feel that the President would have worked seriously on bringing them (and) solving the problem than (declaring a state of emergency). Call them, seat them down and say ‘go and sort your problem.
“How can you ignore the President? When he removed them now, did they ignore the removal?” Ndume queried.
