Rivers Emergency Rule: How We Got APC To Shift Ground, Make Concessions – LP Rep

The member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and leader of the Labour Party caucus, Afam Victor Ogene, has revealed that opposition parties succeed in making the All Progressives Congress (APC) make some concessions in the Rivers State political crisis.

Speaking in an interview with Sunday Sun, the Reps member disclosed that the opposition lawmakers pushed their colleagues to amend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

He, however, pointed out that in a democracy, there is a limit to what the opposition can do.

Ogene stated that in the House of Representatives, after all the filibustering, lobby, shouts and disagreements, all issues boil down to one germaine point, each individual has one vote.

He stated that the minority caucus still remains a critical voice in parliament, achieving modest gains, oftentimes through amendments, which in their absence would have sailed through in the way and manner the APC wanted it.

He said: “Closely related to the place of the opposition is the issue of a presidential proclamation of state of emergency in Rivers State, for which the opposition is being unjustly vilified.

“For every unbiased observer, who watched the proceedings last Thursday, you would observe that immediately the process started, it was a member of the Labour Party, Hon. Obinna Aguocha from Abia State, that raised a constitutional point of order, to the effect that the quorum for the day’s sitting needed to be established, as required by Section 305(6) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as altered.

“Despite his best efforts, and the insistence of a ranking member, Hon. Fred Agbedi, PDP, Bayelsa, to rely on the same constitutional point of order, the presiding officer, who has the power of the gavel, simply noted their observations and moved on. In the circumstance, we had to rely on our earlier agreed amendments, so as to ensure that the President and the APC majority didn’t get, hook, line and sinker, everything they wanted in the proclamation.

“For instance, in the fury and rage against the opposition, many did not realise that we were able to extract certain concessions, through amendments, to wit: Periodic review of the emergency rule within the initial six-month duration, with the possibility of an early termination of the state of emergency, if peace is sufficiently restored; Constitution of a National Mediation Committee comprising eminent Nigerians, including representatives from the Federal Executive and the National Assembly, to facilitate dialogue, peace, and resolution during the emergency period; Adoption of the provisions of Section 11(4) and (5) of the Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to take over the legislative functions of the State House of Assembly when necessary to restore order and governance.

“This is against the express powers granted the Administrator to formulate regulations as may be necessary, and passed on to the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for implementation in Rivers State. So, in approving the President’s for legislative ratification of a State of Emergency in Rivers State, neither the opposition, nor the House of Representatives, acted as mere rubber stamps as is being insinuated.

“In fact, I dare add that, in any deliberative assembly, a walk-out does no one, least of all a minority caucus, any good. For, if the opposition caucus were absent at the sitting – as was about five pro-Governor Fubara members from Rivers State – the modest gains achieved through the various amendments would not have happened.”