A coalition of human rights lawyers, under the banner of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, staged a protest march in Abuja on Wednesday, calling for the immediate restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State following President Bola Tinubu’s controversial suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state legislature.
The lawyers, led by the group’s Country Director, Barrister Uche Chukwu Udeh Sylvester, marched through the streets of the capital and delivered a petition to the United States Embassy. The group urged the U.S. and the wider international community to apply diplomatic pressure on President Tinubu to reverse his decision, which they described as “unconstitutional and undemocratic.”
President Tinubu had earlier declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and the entire House of Assembly for a period of six months, citing concerns over governance and security. However, the protesting lawyers argued that the move represents a direct assault on Nigeria’s constitutional order.
“There was no clear and present danger to justify an emergency declaration,” said Barr. Sylvester during the protest. “This is a brazen attempt to undermine the will of the people and the foundations of our democracy.”
The group criticized the National Assembly for ratifying the emergency rule, stating that their endorsement of Tinubu’s decision was a betrayal of democratic principles and an erosion of constitutional safeguards.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to former U.S. President Donald Trump—now a prominent international political figure—the lawyers appealed for global intervention.
“In an era where democracy is supposed to reign supreme, we find ourselves at a crossroads,” the letter read. “The President, who swore to uphold the Constitution, has taken the unprecedented and unlawful step of suspending an elected governor, his deputy, and an entire state House of Assembly under the guise of emergency rule. Nigerians and Rivers people did not witness any such emergency.”
The letter emphasized that there is no legal framework under Nigeria’s Constitution that empowers the president to unilaterally dissolve or suspend duly elected state institutions. “This could only have happened under military dictatorship,” it stated. “But we are in a constitutional democracy.”
The lawyers argued that internal disputes within the state government could have been addressed through the judiciary or political dialogue, citing similar past issues in other states—such as the local government crisis in Osun State—that did not result in emergency declarations.
“The judiciary has shown itself capable of handling political and constitutional disputes,” the group added. “President Tinubu should have respected that process instead of imposing an unconstitutional solution.”
The protest marks a growing wave of opposition to the emergency rule in Rivers State, which has sparked nationwide debate about executive overreach and the sanctity of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
The Presidency has yet to formally respond to the lawyers’ protest or their petition to the U.S. Embassy.
