The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for emergency rule in Rivers state.
The seal of approval for the president’s proclamation came via voice vote during plenary in the green chamber on Thursday.
The voice vote was used since the house could not muster the necessary numbers to pass the motion by at least 240 of the 360 members as stipulated by the constitution.
On Tuesday, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the south-south state, citing the protracted political crisis.
The president controversially suspended Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, Ngozi Odu, his deputy, and all house assembly members, for six months.
Tinubu has since appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral and former chief of naval staff, as the sole administrator for Rivers.
For the emergency rule to take effect, section 305 (2) of the constitution states that the president must transmit the proclamation to the senate president and the speaker of the house of representatives.
The proclamation would then be supported by two-thirds majority in both chambers.
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 became academic in the house of representatives.
