Rivers : Tambuwal, Abaribe made my day amid moves to silence us in Senate – Dickson

Senator Henry Dickson, representing Bayelsa West in the Senate, has expressed gratitude to his colleagues, Aminu Tambuwal and Enyinnaya Abaribe, for standing against the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State during Thursday’s plenary.

Dickson, a vocal critic of the move, has consistently opposed the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu, arguing that it is unconstitutional.

In a Facebook post, he acknowledged senators who supported him despite what he described as attempts to silence opposition voices in the Senate.

“Today at the sitting of the Senate, the issue of the President’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State came up for discussion, and as I have stated repeatedly, I raised my objections in the closed session on how the declaration fell short of constitutional prescription, based on my view as a Democrat, sworn to uphold the Nigerian constitution,” he wrote.

Dickson commended Senator Tambuwal for his strong stance against the declaration, particularly the suspension of elected officials in Rivers State. However, he noted that despite robust discussions in the closed session, the majority of senators supported the proclamation.

“At the end of the day, the majority of the senators supported the proclamation as no room was given for an open debate at plenary. 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 equally left too,” he stated.

The Bayelsa lawmaker emphasized that he had spoken and voted against the proclamation, alongside Tambuwal and a few other senators who were not recognized to speak.
He acknowledged efforts to modify the declaration in response to concerns raised but insisted that the primary issue of constitutionality remained unresolved.

“The beauty of democracy is such that the minority will have their say while the majority their way. I would have wished for a more robust and open debate so that all views and opinions could be openly canvassed, 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,” he said.

Dickson also reacted to a viral video showing his heated exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio before the closed session. He accused Akpabio of attempting to censor him and misrepresenting his views.

“As I said on the floor, the Senate President was very unfair to me by trying to censor my freedom of expression and by deliberately misrepresenting the import of what I said in the broadcast yesterday, which was the same thing I said on the floor today. It is my opposition in principle to the declaration of a state of emergency, as well as the suspension of elected officials,” he stated.

He reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles and vowed to formally express his displeasure to the Senate President to prevent a recurrence.

Dickson called on Nigerians to remain steadfast in defending democracy and expressed solidarity with the people of Rivers State.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Rivers State,” he concluded.