Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi in this interview justified President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State via a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday evening saying the President’s action was aimed at preventing breakdown of law and order in the oil-rich state. Deji Elumoye brings excerpts.
Did the situation in Rivers State warrant the declaration of a state of emergency? Because some people say the president’s decision was hasty?
Let me start on a note of how we got to where we are today. How did it all start? That is about the genesis. We all know how we got there since 2023. Towards the end of 2023, things have not been going well to the extent that the governor took the law into his hands and demolished and brought down the House of Assembly. Don’t forget the role of the House of Assembly. They are the lawmakers. They are to consider the budget. They are to, you know, pass the budget. They are also to be approached in matters of appointment of commissioners for ratification and all other things. They are to do oversight functions. So, since that happened, things have not been the same at all.