The imposition of Emergency Rule in Rivers State shows that the Tinubu administration has undertaken what amounts to a civilian coup.
Democratic structures have been collapsed, elected officials suspended from offices, the principle of federalism undermined, the Federal constitution of Nigeria pushed aside, and military rule imposed in Rivers State under a sole administrator. The usual democratic constraints of Constitutional compliance, public protest, judicial review, and parliamentary oversight have been over-turned or ignored.
The Tinubu regime is now operating outside the rule of law and the constitution. Nigeria is now under civilian-military rule.
It has now become obvious that the courts and the National Assembly are rubber stamps for the Tinubu administration. The two houses of the National Assembly ratified the state of emergency in Rivers State.
This included going into closed sessions and pretending to recognise the required two thirds majority through a voice vote. They also accepted the suspension of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and members of the State House of Assembly without dissent from any members of the opposition parties.
The Nigerian masses cannot depend on politicians to defend our democratic space and institutions.
In the situation of this civilian coup and civilian-military rule, we can no longer rely on polite appeals nor democratic niceties. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) issued an excellent statement against the suspension of the elected officials of Rivers State, describing it as “unconstitutional and an assault on democracy”.
Many civil society groups have voiced their opposition to the Imposition of emergency rule and introduction of military sole administrators. The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trades Union Congress have also issued a good statement on the coup in Rivers State, but all this is not enough.
The trade unions have the power to defeat the Tinubu regime as they dealt with El Rufai in Kaduna in May 2021. We have to organise much better to encourage the labour movement to use this power. The NLC and TUC in Rivers State have warned that they may be forced to take decisive action if the state of emergency declared in Rivers State is not reversed within a reasonable timeframe. We need to organise more direct collective action by the NBA and other civil society organizations until the Constitution and laws are complied with.
The time for appeals and demands is clearly over, it is only collective mass action that can defend our democracy, stop this civilian coup from engulfing other States in the Federation and see the end of poverty, inequality and corruption that is the foundation of the troubles that we all face on a daily basis.
We need a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) so that we can afford to eat. For the detailed arguments see this briefing: https://ivavalleybooks.com/2024/01/02/briefing-on-the-minimum-wage/
Download our full Socialist Bulletin for April 2025 with the link below:
https://socialistlabour.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SL-bulletin-April-2025.pdf
