Rivers Emergency Rule: Hope For Fubara as Tinubu’s Men Struggle to Secure Two-Thirds Majority

• The Nigerian Senate is expected to determine the approval or rejection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's state of emergency declaration in Rivers state
• The National Assembly members will approve or reject the declaration and suspension of Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy, and Rivers state lawmakers with their votes
• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs to secure a two-thirds majority of the lawmakers' votes for approval

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events.

FCT, Abuja - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s foot soldiers are reportedly struggling to secure a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to approve his declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state.

Legit.ng recalls that President Tinubu suspended Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy, and members of the Rivers state assembly for six months.

Rivers emergency rule: Constitution on two-thirds majority

The condition for the two-thirds majority is contained in Section 305 (6), which stipulates that:

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“Proclamation issued by the President under this section shall cease to have effect (b) if it affects the Federation or any part thereof and within two days when the National Assembly is in session, or within ten days when the National Assembly is not in session, after its publication, there is no resolution supported by two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly approving the proclamation.”

President Tinubu needs at least 240 votes in the House of Reps and 73 in the Senate for his proclamation to stand.

Recall that there are 360 members in the House of Reps and 109 in the Senate.

As reported by TheCable, sources in the National Assembly said President Tinubu’s foot soldiers were struggling to get the numbers.

This was connected to the reason the Senate on Wednesday deferred the motion to Thursday, March 20, 2025.

The sources said many federal lawmakers were unconvinced about the legality of Tinubu’s action.

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Breaking: Senate postpones debate on state of emergency in Rivers, reason emerges

An insider said the lawmakers believe Tinubu’s emergency in Rivers state could set a dangerous precedent in the country with many lawmakers divided along party lines.

However, there are some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are wary of endorsing Tinubu’s emergency rule.

Rivers emergency rule: Failure to secure a majority

Should President Tinubu fail to secure a two-thirds majority in both chambers to approve the emergency rule by Thursday, March 20, 2025, he will be forced to revoke his proclamation, effectively restoring Fubara and his administration.

12 governors reject Tinubu's suspension of Fubara

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the 12 PDP governors condemned the suspension of Governor Fubara by President Tinubu

The governor, his deputy, and the state's legislature were suspended over their failure to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the crisis rocking the state and security report.

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Breaking: Senate to take action on Fubara's suspension, emergency rule in Rivers

The PDP governors described Tinubu's broadcast as a grievous mistake and a threat to the opposition in Nigeria, decrying the president's silence on Wike's role in the Rivers crisis.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng