Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of violating the Nigerian Constitution in his handling of the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, blaming a weak National Assembly for failing to act as a check on executive excesses.
Speaking at the ninth Akinjide Adeosun Foundation Annual Leadership Discourse in Lagos on Thursday, Amaechi decried what he described as the unconstitutional suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The event was themed “Fearless Leadership: A Panacea for Sustainable Development.”
Amaechi warned that governance in Nigeria is increasingly becoming a matter of personal discretion rather than constitutional rule.
“What we are witnessing is not just the breaking of laws—it is a direct violation of the Constitution,” he said. “And this is being allowed to happen because the National Assembly is too weak to stand up to the executive.”
He described President Tinubu’s alleged declaration of an emergency and the replacement of elected officials in Rivers as a clear case of unconstitutional overreach.
“In any functioning democracy, such a move would provoke national outrage and institutional resistance,” Amaechi said. “But in Nigeria, nothing happened. The president unseated an elected governor and appointed a military man—and the country moved on.”
The former minister argued that fearless leadership is often glorified in environments where systems have failed, but in truly democratic societies, institutions—not individual heroism—should drive governance.
“Where systems work, you don’t need a courageous leader,” he said. “You need structures that function. You need laws that are respected. You need institutions that are strong enough to restrain excesses.”
Amaechi lamented that Nigeria’s democratic foundations are being eroded by weak institutions and a passive citizenry.
“When governance is arbitrary, when the rule of law is discarded, what you get is leadership by fiat,” he said. “The National Assembly has the constitutional responsibility to act as a safeguard, but it has failed.”
He called on Nigerians to shed the culture of complacency and actively demand accountability from their leaders.
“Bad governance thrives on docility. Nigerians must speak out and take action when the Constitution is trampled upon,” Amaechi urged.
He concluded by emphasizing the central role of the Constitution in national life: “The Constitution is not just a document—it is the soul of our democracy. Undermining it is a threat to our collective future.”
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