The former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has declared that the truce and declaration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the Rivers State crisis was unconstitutional.
The former member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council said, according to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), it was wrong for the president to declare his position on the escalating crisis, which could easily be settled constitutionally.
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Taking to his X account (formerly Twitter), Ologbondiyan said, “The Asiwaju Declarations on Rivers State are unconstitutional and a wholesome abuse of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“The law is that @inecnigeria holds elections in the vacant seats of the Rivers House of Assembly in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“@officialABAT, as a major beneficiary of our constitutional democracy, must not be allowed to turn our nation into a banana republic where anything goes,” he tweeted.
It will be recalled that the agreement for a truce between Governor Sim Fubara and Nyesom Wike was reached after President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders met with the two warring factions on Monday.
A document emerging from the meeting directed that all impeachment proceedings initiated against Fubara by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.
It also directed that all matters instituted in the courts by Fubara and his team in respect of the political crisis in the state “shall be withdrawn immediately.”.
Other directives, according to the document, read, “The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly, as led by the Rt Hon Martin Amaewhule, shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.
“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately, and the governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the executive arm of government.
“The governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.
“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognized.”