NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday declared a state of emergency in the southwestern state of Ekiti following the unconstitutional impeachment of the state governor over corruption charges.
Obasanjo swore in a retired major-general to run the affairs of the state for the next six months and said the move was to prevent Ekiti from descending into anarchy and threatening security in Africa's biggest oil producer.
"It is a clear case of usurpation of power. It is dangerous for our democracy . . . to allow this flagrant violation of our constitution to go unchecked," Obasanjo said in an early morning national television broadcast.
State lawmakers impeached Gov Ayodele Fayose on Monday after a judicial panel found him guilty of corruption. However, the verdict was issued after the lawmakers replaced the judge who headed the panel, which Obasanjo said was illegal.
The declaration of a state of emergency comes at a sensitive time in Nigerian politics. Africa's most populous country is due to hold elections next April that should mark the first democratic handover of power since independence in 1960.
The Action Congress, a new party that is trying to position itself as the main opposition, said the state of emergency in Ekiti was part of a "grand plan" by Obasanjo to stay in power.
"This administration's plan is simply to create as much chaos as possible in each of the six geo-political zones to make it impossible to hold elections next year," the party said.