A human rights group, Pilex Center for Civic Education Initiative has frowned against the presentation of Rivers State 2025 budget of N1.48 trillion to the National Assembly by President Tinubu.
In a statement issued by the coordinator of the Center, Courage Nsirimovu on Friday, he described the move by the president as not only illegal, but done in bad faith.
“The ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of A.G Federation V. A.G Lagos State (2004) puts a big wedge on the constitutionality of the actions of the President, except he wants to continue in his impunity.
“In the case above, the issue of declaration of state of emergency was treated and the decision of the Court was to the effect that ; though S 305 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for declaration of State of Emergency, it doesn’t empower the President to suspend or remove a democratically elected Governor.
“The President’s usurpation of the powers of the Governor of Rivers State is so painful and terroristic in the face of very weak institutions like the judiciary which should be the hope of the people to address the ills of the President.
“The conduct of the President amounts to gross misconduct and the irony of this situation is that the National Assembly has also lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the people because one would have expected them to caution or check the excesses of the President by denying his demand.
“When a people lose faith in the institutions of democracy (Judiciary, Legislature and Executive) it means that the social contract has failed and the next scenario is better left for your to imagine. We have gotten to that tipping point”, the statement posted.
The statement regretted that the judiciary and the legislature are now tools in the hands of the Executive, saying, “only today, the CJN called for 5 files (suits) against the Sole Administrator in Rivers State and transferred all the matters to Abuja”
The group noted that the Supreme Court had mandated the Governor of Rivers State to represent the budget to the State Assembly, insisting that only the Governor can do so.
“The Emergency rule is illegal and whatever the President builds on it will fall.
“The said action of the President to present the Rivers Budget to the Senate is illegal and should be resisted one way or another”, the group maintained.
Also reacting, the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR) strongly queried the legitimacy and appropriateness of the N1.48 trillion appropriation bill recently initiated under what appears to be federal emergency control in Rivers State—without the democratic consent of the Rivers people, who will ultimately bear the financial burden.
“This action, undertaken by the Tinubu administration, casts a long shadow over the foundational principles of Nigeria’s federal system. A true federation respects the autonomy of its federating units. It does not override them. Appropriating such an enormous sum, allegedly on behalf of a state, without the active involvement of its duly elected representatives, constitutes a serious breach of democratic accountability and a threat to constitutional order.
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In a statement signed by the Chancellor, International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), Dr Jackson Omenazu, he asserted that the people of Rivers State were neither consulted nor allowed to participate in the legislative processes that govern their own finances.
He insisted that the people own the money, yet they had no say. “This is unacceptable in any democratic society, and doubly dangerous in a fragile federation like ours”
According to Omenazu, if the precedent stands, nothing would stop the federal government from unilaterally intervening in other states in future, bypassing their institutions and imposing financial burdens without consent. “This is not governance. It is governance by decree—under the guise of federal benevolence”, he stated.
The group demanded a full disclosure of the legal basis and breakdown of the N1.48 trillion appropriation, an immediate review of the action by the National Assembly in line with constitutional standards.
The group also demanded restoration of legislative authority to the Rivers State House of Assembly, as the rightful voice of the people.
It insisted that our federation must be governed by the rule of law, not executive convenience.
” Rivers State is not a colony of Abuja. It is a proud and vital member of the Nigerian federation, and its people deserve respect, representation, and the right to determine their financial destiny. Enough is enough“
