2 weeks Ago By Obinna Ezugwu
Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the National Assembly of enabling President Bola Tinubu’s alleged constitutional breach through its institutional weakness and failure to uphold democratic principles. Amaechi made the remarks in Lagos on Thursday at the ninth edition of the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation’s Annual Leadership Discourse, themed “Fearless Leadership: A Panacea for Sustainable Development.” Reacting to the recent political crisis in Rivers State, where Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state assembly were reportedly suspended, Amaechi condemned what he described as an unconstitutional abuse of power under the guise of executive authority.
According to him, a truly functional system should not require courageous or fearless leaders to ensure its operation. “Do you need a courageous leader where the system works?” he asked rhetorically. “Just push the button, and everything gives you the answer.
It is only in a failed system that you start looking for fearless leaders. What we really need is good governance rooted in constitutionality and the rule of law.” Amaechi criticized the concentration of power in the hands of leaders who act without regard for legal norms, likening it to governance driven by personal whims rather than constitutional guidelines.
He stated: “There is a dangerous trend where what a governor or president does becomes the law, not what the Constitution says. This is the essence of arbitrariness in governance—where institutions are too weak to hold leaders accountable.” Pointing to the situation in Rivers State, he said, “What we have seen is a clear violation of the Constitution, not just any law.
And this breach—this removal of an elected governor and the appointment of a military man—is a fundamental affront to the sanctity of our Constitution.” He added that the National Assembly’s failure to check the presidency contributed to the unfolding crisis. “It’s weak institutions like the National Assembly that allow these breaches to happen.
When institutions don’t work, leaders act with impunity,” he said. Amaechi also called on Nigerians to abandon what he described as a culture of docile followership, urging citizens to hold their leaders accountable and resist arbitrary governance. “Nigerians must stop being passive in the face of poor leadership.
Docility is the enabler of bad governance,” he said. He concluded by stressing that the Constitution is the ultimate guide for democratic conduct and must be protected at all costs. “The Constitution is the Bible of the nation.
Its sanctity must be preserved. But can we say that’s the case in Nigeria today? Clearly, the answer is no,” Amaechi asserted..
