The Senate and House of Representatives at its plenary session of Thursday, 20th March 2025 approved the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to proclaim a state of emergency in Rivers State.
At the commencement of the House of Representatives plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abass Tajudeen (APC: Kaduna) read a letter from President Tinubu outlining the proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State. In the letter, the President detailed the rationale behind the proclamation noting prolonged political instability and the need for immediate intervention to restore order and stabilize governance in the State.
The letter outlined several key measures including the suspension of the State’s Governor, Deputy Governor, and all Members of the State House of Assembly for six months and the appointment of a sole administrator to manage the affairs of the state during the emergency. For the proclamation to fully take effect, the President requested the approval of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
During the approval process in the House of Representatives, the request of President Tinubu secured the support of lawmakers through a voice vote even though there is no evidence to show that it achieved the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority (240 out of 360 Members). Despite not meeting the 240-member threshold, and by-passing the vote count, the Speaker, noted that the request of the President was approved based on the record of attendance from its plenary which indicated a total of 243 lawmakers.
In the Senate, lawmakers moved into a closed-door session to deliberate on the letter. Although details from the closed-door session were not disclosed, the Senate like the House of Representatives, approved the President’s request via a voice vote on their resumption of plenary.
Following the approvals of the Senate and House of Representatives, both chambers concluded its proceedings and adjourned plenary to Tuesday, 25th March 2025.
