Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the weakness of the National Assembly allowed President Bola Tinubu to act against the Constitution in the crisis rocking Rivers State.
Amaechi made this statement on Thursday during the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation’s 9th Annual Leadership Discourse in Lagos, where he criticised the suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and some lawmakers.
He said, “The absence of good governance and the rule of law breeds arbitrariness in governance. This is where government is not by law, but by the whims and caprices of an individual leader.”
Amaechi accused President Tinubu of violating the Constitution by interfering in the affairs of Rivers State and blamed the National Assembly for failing to act.
“This is where the current pronouncement of an illegal and unconstitutional state of emergency in Rivers State, aided by weak institutions like the National Assembly, which is very weak, becomes worrisome,” he added.
He also challenged the idea that Nigeria needs courageous or fearless leaders, saying that such traits only become necessary when the system has failed.
He said, “You don’t need a courageous leader where the system works. It is only when there is failed leadership that you begin to look for who is courageous.”
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Amaechi said the real problem is not just breaking laws but breaking the Constitution itself.
Amaechi said, “The president didn’t break any law. He broke the Constitution. The Constitution of a country is the Bible of that country. And its sanctity must be protected.”
He called on Nigerians to stop being passive and to hold leaders accountable.
He said, “You can either have a fearless followership or a docile followership. Does Nigeria resonate here as per the docility of followership? Yes. Docility enables bad leadership.”