President Bola Tinubu has reminded state governors and Houses of Assembly across the country of the constitutional provision empowering the federal government to declare a state of emergency where public order and safety are under threat.

Tinubu, in a speech on Wednesday, said the provision was an inbuilt constitutional tool designed to restore peace, order, and security in extraordinary circumstances.

“The power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the state to peace, order and security,” the President said.

He acknowledged that the proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State had not been without opposition, noting that some citizens and groups had challenged the decisions in court.

“I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to their instituting over 40 cases in the courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, to invalidate the declaration. That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today,” Tinubu stated.