The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for emergency rule in Rivers State.
The president’s proclamation was approved by voice vote during plenary in the green chamber on Thursday.
TheCable learns that a voice vote was utilised since the house could not muster the necessary numbers to pass the resolution with at least 240 of the 360 members required by the constitution.
On Tuesday, Tinubu announced a state of emergency in the south-south state, citing the ongoing political instability.
The president controversially suspended Siminalayi Fubara, the state’s governor, Ngozi Odu, his deputy, and all members of the House Assembly for six months.
Tinubu has since nominated Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral and former head of naval staff, as the sole administrator of Rivers.
Section 305 (2) of the constitution requires the president to communicate the proclamation to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives before the emergency rule can take effect.
A two-thirds vote in both chambers would then approve the declaration.
Section 305 (6) stipulates that a “proclamation issued by the President under this section shall cease to have effect (b) if it affects the Federation or any part thereof and within two days when the National Assembly is in session, or within ten days when the National Assembly is not in session, after its publication, there is no resolution supported by two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly approving the proclamation”.
With 360 members in the green chamber and 109 in the red chamber, Tinubu needed at least 240 votes in the house of reps and 73 in the senate for his proclamation to stand.
However, with its voice vote method, the two-thirds majority requirement became academic in the house of representatives.
Source: TheCable
