Tinubu’s Intervention In Rivers State Crisis Is Super Constitutional – Lawyer

A lawyer and former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Olorunfunmi Basorun has praised the intervention of President Bola Tinubu in the political crisis which rocked Rivers State.

According to him, some of those condemning Tinubu for intervening in the Rivers State crisis are not saying the entire truth.

Basorun argued that there is nothing unconstitutional in what the President did as Tinubu is the father of every Nigerian irrespective of their political affiliations and can’t just be watching the situation in Rivers State degenerate.

The lawyer submitted that the intervention of President Tinubu in the tension between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was the right thing to do.

He also disagreed with the positions of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) and Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark who in separate submissions, said Tinubu’s intervention was unconstitutional.

Basorun in his reaction during a phone chat with Punch said: “I feel worried about the attitude of some commentators on the happening in Rivers State. One of my worries is that of one of us who said the intervention of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is unconstitutional.

“I do not know which section of the Constitution he is referring to. But as far as I am concerned, this is my number one issue now. The intervention of Tinubu, our President, is super constitutional.

“Why? Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as President elected by Nigerians, is the number one citizen of Nigeria. And in my own opinion, and I think that is the opinion of others, he is the father of all of us in that position.

“If anything is going wrong that would disturb the equilibrium of the country, like peace, security, and the lives of Nigerians, I think he has to intervene.

“We are his children. If anything is going wrong, all the 36 state governments and the federal capital territory are his children. He cannot ignore if something inimical to the peace and security of the country is happening.”

The former Lagos SSG argued further that if people didn’t see anything wrong in Tinubu’s intervention in resolving the Ondo State crisis between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, then it looks like double standards to be questioning the President’s intervention in Rivers State.

He also submitted that the actions of Governor Fubara were capable of escalating if the President had not stepped in when he did.

“It is not a thing that would end there. And then he (Fubara) used the institution of state because the people around were protesting that he should not do it.

“He used the police too. They drove away the people. And somebody will sit on top there as the father of the nation and will not intervene?

“Forget about all the internet fighting here and there. But that single event, I believe, could escalate to more damage, and could even spread to states outside Rivers State,” Basorun stressed.

According to him, Falana and others condemning the directive of the President to reinstate the 27 lawmakers of the Rivers Assembly who defected are not telling the whole truth about the constitutional provision on such matters.

“Falana and some other SANs had come only with one side of the story.”

“They claim that by the constitution, they have lost their seats. They failed to inform the public that there is a rider in that section of the constitution, that where there is a dispute in the party, they will do it (defect) without any breach of the law,” the former Lagos official added.