Rivers emergency rule: Why I walked out – Senator Dickson opens up on what happened at Senate close section

The lawmaker representing the Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Senator Seriake Dickson, has revealed that he walked out of the red chamber on Thursday following a heated argument regarding the approval of the State of Emergency in Rivers State.

DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Thursday approved the emergency rule and the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all the state lawmakers, as declared by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.

During the Thursday plenary, Senator Dickson, who stiffly opposed the proclamation, had a brief argument with the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, before the House proceeded to a closed session.

In a statement on Friday, Senator Dickson revealed that he raised his “objections in the closed session on how the declaration fell short of constitutional prescription based on my views as a Democrat, sworn to uphold the Nigerian constitution.”

The lawmaker also revealed that though the Senate did not undertake the debate in an open session, “it was quite robust.”

The former governor of Bayelsa State listed Senators Waziri Tambuwal and Enyinnaya Abaribe among those who kicked against the proclamation.

Part of the statement reads: “I left the plenary before the Senate President was directed to report the outcome because I didn’t want to be present while what I opposed was being reported. I believe Senator Tambuwal, Senator Abaribe, and others also left.

“I want to make it clear that, as I stated repeatedly, I spoke and voted against the proclamation in our closed session, supported by Senator Aminu Tambuwal and a few other senators who were not recognized to speak.

“And so I want to thank all the senators who shared the view that I vigorously canvassed.

“I am, however, aware of the efforts made to modify the declaration as a result of the concerns and views we have expressed and canvassed over the past few days.

“Though I acknowledge the effort being made by the leadership and the President to moderate the terms of the declaration and to create a mechanism for oversight, theoretically, this does not counter the primary issue of constitutionality.

“The beauty of democracy is such that the minority will have their say while the majority will have their way.

“I would have wished for a more robust and open debate so that all views and opinions could be openly canvassed, as I requested even at the closed session specifically, and thereafter, the majority could have their way. But as it is, both chambers have decided, and the ball is now in the court of the other arms of government, especially the judiciary, in the event of any challenge.”