‘Its Sad Tinubu Feels No Sense Of Shame To Preside Over Desecration Of Nigerian Constitution’ – Ex-AG Shreds Rivers Peace Deal

A former Akwa Ibom Attorney General, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Uwemedimo Nwoko, says that he is saddened that as educated as President Bola Tinubu is, “he does not feel any sense of repulsion; he does not feel any sense of shame going to preside over the desecration of the constitution of Nigeria.”

Talking to Saturday Vanguard, Mr Nwoko shredded the Rivers State peace agreement, brokered by Tinubu,  as gross abuse of power and a slap on the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He described the president’s role in the matter as an attempt to undermine the nation’s democracy.

Nwoko said, “It is very sad that the president would preside over the desecration of the constitution that he had taken oath to protect. It is scandalous, it is very embarrassing, it is shameful, despicable and condemnable. It is wanton abuse of the Constitution.

“In law, parties cannot sit down to agree on unconstitutionality, parties cannot negotiate illegality. They cannot enter into agreement to violate the law or the constitution. For instance, the purported return of the 27 lawmakers to the House is illegality, it is unconstitutionality, it cannot stand.

“The agreement that the governor should go and re-present the appropriation bill to the House of Assembly, when the Bill has already been passed by the House, and assented to by the governor is an illegality, it is a joke of the highest level.

“In fact, the president should disown that meeting and say that he didn’t preside over the desecration of the constitution because it is an impeachable offence against him. The 27 lawmakers that defected, by virtue of the clear provision of the constitution they had vacated their position automatically. The constitution says there’s no proviso for returning, there is no exception to the matter.

“So, having lost their seats by virtue of their defection to another political party, they have gone forever. They cannot come back unless they re-contest election. Those people are out and they are out of the Rivers State House of Assembly. They cannot return.

“The constitution is like the Rock of Gibraltar, it cannot be moved, it cannot be shaken. What the Constitution provides stands permanently. So, the purported agreement, or settlement, whatever they call it has no meaning as far as the status of the 27 state lawmakers are concerned.”