I opposed emergency rule In Rivers state & walked out of chamber as Senate refused to follow constitution & standing orders—Senator Seriake Dickson

Bayelsa West senator, Seriake Dickson, walked out of the Senate chamber on Thursday shortly before the upper chamber approved the state of emergency in Rivers State.

The Senate gave its approval after a closed-door session that lasted for one hour and twenty minutes during Thursday’s plenary.

At around 1:40 pm, as senators returned from the closed-door meeting, Dickson, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Bayelsa State governor, was seen leaving the chamber visibly upset.

Although he did not publicly state the reason for his abrupt exit, it was clear that he was uncomfortable with the agreement reached during the closed-door session.

Earlier, there was a disagreement between Dickson and Senate President Godswill Akpabio before the Senate moved into the private session.

The dispute began when Dickson raised a point of order, citing Order 135 of the Senate Rules, which mandates that the President of Nigeria must brief the Senate in a closed-door session on the circumstances necessitating a state of emergency.

Akpabio immediately interrupted him, referencing Dickson’s prior comments on television opposing the emergency rule even before the Senate had deliberated on it.

“I watched you on television. Listen to me; let’s not argue. If we argue, it won’t be good for any of us. We are all distinguished people. You’re a former governor and I am a former governor, please off the mic, please be seated,” Akpabio told Dickson.

Dickson complied and took his seat.

Akpabio then accused him of forming an opinion on the matter before the Senate had reached a conclusion.

“I watched you on television and you said ‘no matter what the Senate does, the Senate will never go with you. The Senate will not go with you.’ You said no matter what the Senate does, the Senate will not have your vote, that was what you said on the television.

“I am saying that if you’ve already made up your mind to talk on television when the Senate has not considered this issue. I am not arguing with you, please allow me to preside,” Akpabio added.

Despite the Senate President’s remarks, Dickson proceeded with his point of order, urging his colleagues to adhere to Senate rules.

He emphasized the importance of following procedural guidelines and reminded the chamber that the Senate is governed by two key documents: Nigeria’s constitution and the Senate Standing Rules.

“We must have national respect for all our colleagues and for you, particularly our presiding officer, and it should be reciprocal. The point of order is to draw the attention of the presiding officer and our colleagues to the specific provisions of our rules. Each one of us is guided by two documents, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and rules that govern our proceedings.”

“The proclamation has been read to us, and I want to draw your attention, Mr President, respectfully, and the attention of all our colleagues to the specific provisions of our rules, Order 135. It is very exhaustive. Once there’s a state of emergency declaration, there is a procedure,” he stated.

Akpabio later upheld Dickson’s point of order but clarified that the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, had already planned to move for a closed-door session before Dickson raised his concerns.

The Senate then proceeded into the closed-door meeting, where the emergency rule was discussed and unanimously approved.

Order 135 of the Senate states, “The President shall, in a closed-door session, brief the Senate on the circumstances of the proclamation of a state of emergency.”

Meanwhile, the South-South Governors’ Forum had earlier opposed the state of emergency declaration in Rivers.

The forum’s chairperson, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, argued that the political situation in Rivers had not deteriorated to the point of warranting emergency rule, considering the provisions of Section 305(3) of the Nigerian Constitution.

Diri explained that Section 305(3) specifies that a state of emergency should be declared only under conditions such as war, external aggression, or imminent invasion.