The Senate has revealed that 74 lawmakers, out of the 109 members in the upper chamber, voted in favor of imposing a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the Senate Spokesman representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, made this disclosure over the weekend during a press briefing at his residence in Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
He explained that 74 members voted for the emergency rule, out of the 106 lawmakers present at the session.
He stated: “When the question was put to those in support of the emergency rule in Rivers State, all of them said ‘Yes,’ and nobody said ‘nay’ after the discussions were held.”
“It is very unfortunate that everybody in Nigeria wants to interpret the rules and the constitution of Nigeria the way they like. Over 200 million Nigerians, and over 200 million Nigerians interpret the constitution of Nigeria, as a lawmaker, a lawyer, and a Judge.”
Adaramodu condemned the way some Nigerians interpret the rules and standing orders of the National Assembly, accusing them of claiming that these rules were tailored to favor their specific positions.
“The rules say it must be through a closed session when issues related to security are discussed; you cannot be debating it openly,” he added. “We did not bend the rules; we did what we needed to do!”
He further noted: “Personal feelings are not Law or status. We debated it, and we all agreed in the closed-door session that we were all supporting the emergency rule in Rivers State. After the debate, we included three more clauses beyond what the Presidency brought to the National Assembly. It may not last six months if the atmosphere improves.”
He clarified that the administrator appointed in Rivers State would report not only to the Presidency but also to the National Assembly, which would continue to oversee the administration.
Additionally, a committee consisting of eminent Nigerians would be formed to mediate between the warring factions in the state and submit a report to both the Presidency and the National Assembly.
Adaramodu pointed out that the problem in Rivers State arose from the actions of the Governor and the State House of Assembly, resulting in a situation where governance was paralyzed, with only three lawmakers loyal to the Governor out of 32.
The Senator also addressed accusations that the National Assembly is merely a rubber-stamp body, asserting: “We are not in the Senate with gloves on, to simply go and fight with the executive or other arms of government.”
“That is not our calling. Our calling is to be partners in progress. While we are partners in progress, we make laws; the execution is the responsibility of the executive, and the interpretation lies with the judiciary. We make laws, but we do not execute them.” he said.
