Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, says he is not shocked that the national parliament approved the emergency declaration in Rivers state.
Because of the state’s ongoing political instability, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18.
For the first six months, the president suspended all members of the Rivers legislature, Siminalayi Fubara, the state’s governor, and Ngozi Odu, his deputy.
The president appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole state administrator.
Tinubu’s proposal for the emergency rule was controversially granted by the House of Representatives and the Senate 48 hours later.
The emergency rule in Rivers has been denounced by a number of parties.
Tinubu’s proclamation needed at least 240 votes in the House of Representatives and 73 votes in the Senate, with 360 members in the green chamber and 109 in the red chamber.
Nevertheless, the emergency rule was passed by the senate and house of representatives via voice vote, which does not reveal the number of MPs who supported or opposed the proposal.
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In the trailer for “Untold Stories with Adesuwa, an interview programme set to air in full on Wednesday, Atiku was asked if he was surprised that the president’s request for a state of emergency was hastily endorsed by federal lawmakers.
The national assembly’s leadership, according to the former vice president, is “corrupt” and has a propensity to do anything.
“I was not surprised because I know the leadership is corrupt. No apologies about that. They could do anything,” Atiku said.
According to the 2023 PDP presidential contender, Nigeria has never needed trustworthy and capable leadership “more than now.”
