Many Nigerians have been critical of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly. Many also find the subsequent approval of the emergency rule by the National Assembly distasteful. Pat Utomi, a professor of political economics and founder of the Centre for Values In Leadership, aired his views on the political developments in Rivers State in this interview with Channels Television.

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You haven?t hidden your disapproval of the president?s declaration of emergency in Rivers State. I?m wondering if you are surprised by what has transpired on the floor of the National Assembly.

Democracy was murdered in Nigeria. I cannot publicly say that I come from a country that is a democracy; it is not a democracy even the manner of it is so disdainful of the sensitivity of the Nigerian people. You will recall many years ago when there were questions of whether or not the third term thing was going to happen, people wanted to see who voted one way or the other in a matter of profound national importance, to do what they (lawmakers) did was an Insult to the Nigerian people. The National Assembly has become consistent in insulting the Nigerian people. We do not have a democracy anymore.

The question is how we proceed from here recognising that we don?t have a democracy. I cried for our beloved country. How could they do this to us after all these years? Most of these characters were hiding when people like us put our lives on the line for this democracy and now they shrivel it, they make it a joke for a mess of pottage. What a tragedy for a country! What a tragedy!

It was a voice vote but the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in defense of their choice of voting, said there wasn?t one dissenting voice.

Yeah, I?ve heard the senate president call for a voice vote before and everybody said nay and he said the ayes have it. I have it on video; I?ve seen it before so the whole thing is a scam on the Nigerian people. Very sadly, I watch the Nigerian political class demolish Nigerian institutions. It may give them warm moments and ?personal victory? but it destroys the future of their children and I hope they know that our institutions have been destroyed, they?ve destroyed the judiciary, and the National Assembly does not constitute another realm that has oversight or checks or balances to the other; it is just a complete joke. The world laughs at us and it is a tragedy that we are where we are.

As much as you have argued that the emergency is unconstitutional, what precisely is unconstitutional about it? Because some people have said the president is empowered in Section 305 to declare a state of emergency.

What is the problem in River State that warrants a state of emergency? Tell me what it is. When pipelines were blown like popcorn in River State, was there a state of emergency? Why did he (Tinubu) not declare a state of emergency in Lagos State when the Assembly was tossing back and forth? Why Rivers?

There is something about fairness, equity, and pure decency and I don?t see it here. I think that?s a shame that they want to rubbish the democracy that we all fought so hard for, but you know karma, it comes back to haunt everybody. Unfortunately, we?re going to stay in poverty for a long time because of the conduct of these kinds of people in public life.

So, let?s be clear, you are not in support of a declaration of an emergency in River State because the president said, with the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance can thrive. According to him, he?s also defending democracy in River State.

That?s not true at all. Godwin Obaseki and Edo State faced very similar circumstances. There is nothing that the chap in Port Harcourt has done that Godwin Obaseki did not do. Why was a state of emergency not declared in Edo State?

Look, let?s be fair, this is supposed to be a case of two fighting, who are these two fighting? Let?s name them and over what are they fighting over and why do a whole people have to bear the brunt of these outsized egos damaging the peace of all? For whatever it is they claim they are fighting which is not in our constitution?

We don?t know anything about fathers or godfathers in our constitution and one man can sit in judgment in his court where he is an active partisan and make these kinds of choices and the Nigerian people just sit and watch, that?s a tragedy for our country.

So, what in your opinion are the options open to the president given that the two factions ? the executive and the legislature ?are at variance?

First of all, I want to ask you to show me, give examples of those states where executives and legislators have been at variance and nobody declared a state of emergency. I?ve just seen a release by the opposition coalition in which they rebuke the attorney general for daring to suggest that the governor of Rivers State was responsible for pipeline explosions.

I?ve said before that there was a time when Nigeria went into a recession because pipelines were going off like Christmas crackers and we didn?t see a state of emergency declared. Why now? It doesn?t make sense to me.

You can go around the world fooling yourself saying you?re attracting investment and with just a simple decision, they made Nigeria unattractive for investments. Everybody who is a serious investor picks it off, serious instability, they?ve declared martial law in a part of the country, in fact, the part of the country that is most critical for their revenue flows.

I don?t know how we carry on this kind of masochistic behavior, load the machine, go shoot ourselves in the foot because of our egos because we cannot control ourselves as politicians. ?Two fighting,? as they say, and one person takes sides with the other.

It?s just a shame that the Nigerian people have inherited this kind of political class and we?re not going anywhere as a country until we get rid of this political class, I assure you.

You cited two states and the president didn?t do anything. Does that make it right?

So, what piece was damaged enough in Edo State to have warranted that? I?ve just given you a little bit of the consequences of that decision for the Nigerian economy because when politicians get into the political things they don?t think more broadly.

Nigeria is irresponsible, that?s why its economy is not growing and people are suffering, dying of hunger, there?s poverty in the land, and Instead of focusing on how we can create a developmental state that cares about the people, people go to the National Assembly, and rubbish their country and make it a place that?s not attractive for investment. There will be judgment, I assure you, there will be judgment.

Exactly what for you is the issue? Is it the fact that the state of emergency was declared or that the government of the day except the judiciary was suspended?

There was no basis for declaring one, none whatsoever. It was deliberately contrived; there was no basis for a state of emergency. A good part of Nigeria is in worse situations of emergency: banditry in the Northwest, all the things in the Northeast, those are even more challenging reasons that you could use to declare an emergency. Nobody did and then the case of two fighting over what and our country has to be put on the international shelf as a no-good place to do business, this is tragic.

Now, with the National Assembly having legitimised this state of emergency, which way forward do you see?

Well, they can undo what they did, there have been many occasions where we, for example, this business of voice vote for such a critical thing is not acceptable in a decent society. They can unwind that voice vote. But if these corrupt fellows in the National Assembly will not even try to give an alternative way a chance, they smoke the future of their children and there will be judgment. (Channels TV)

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