Noted human rights attorney and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has remarked on the involvement of President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State’s ongoing political turmoil, labeling it as beyond the scope of legal frameworks.
President Tinubu previously stepped in to mediate the conflict that pitted Governor Siminalayi Fubara against Federal Capital Territory minister, Nyesom Wike.
The president’s mediation culminated in a peace agreement between the conflicting parties towards the end of last year, an effort aimed at stabilizing the state’s political climate.
However, Falana has pointed out that such political disputes must be addressed within the confines of the law, implying that there are no legal grounds for such “extra-legal” resolutions.
“I think the President’s intervention in the Rivers political crisis is not backed by any provision of the Constitution mind you,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
“It’s an extra-legal measure towards the restoration of law and order in that state.
“The President can only wish them well. And if they have taken their battle to the court of law, they just have to follow through and allow the law to take its course. That is what the rule of law is about under a democratic dispensation.
“There is no provision outside the law and that point has to be made abundantly clear to those involved in the crisis in Rivers State,” he said.
