Kenneth Okonkwo, a former chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, has advised Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take legal action to reclaim the six months lost from his four-year term.
President Bola Tinubu lifted the state of emergency on September 17, and Fubara, along with his deputy, returned to office on September 19.
Speaking during a recent interview, Okonkwo asserted that the governor has a constitutional right to an uninterrupted four-year term, a provision that has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
He argued that the six-month period of emergency rule was an “illegal” and “brutal” interruption of Fubara’s mandate.
“This has nothing to do with antagonising whoever declared a state of emergency. It has something to do with the constitutional provision that he (Fubara) was elected by Rivers people to serve them for four years,” Okonkwo stated.
He cited Section 180 (2) of the constitution, which explicitly states that a governor’s term of office is four years.
Okonkwo also questioned the justification for the state of emergency, arguing that a political disagreement, not a total breakdown of law and order, was the real issue.
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“What was it in Rivers state that required extraordinary measures?” he asked, noting that the constitution specifies that a state of emergency is for situations requiring “extraordinary measures” to restore peace and security.
He referenced a situation in Benue State where, in his view, a more severe crisis did not lead to a similar declaration.
However, in a recent state broadcast, Fubara indicated that he had resisted pressure to legally challenge the emergency rule declaration, prioritizing peace in the state instead.
