Nollywood veteran and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, has advised Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State to approach the courts to seek an extension of his tenure.

Okonkwo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, argued that President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of the governor during the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers was unconstitutional.

According to him, the six months Fubara was kept out of office should not count against his four-year mandate.

“This has nothing to do with antagonizing whoever declared the state of emergency. It has everything to do with constitutional provisions. Fubara was elected by Rivers people to serve them for four years, and the Supreme Court has interpreted that tenure as sacrosanct,” Okonkwo said.

He explained that since Fubara’s time in office was “illegally and brutally” interrupted, the Constitution gives him the right to demand that the lost period be restored.

“The Constitution is very clear in Section 180(2) that the term of office is four years. So the governor vacates his seat after four years, from the day he was sworn in. If he leaves by May 29, 2027, he has not served for four years.

“That is why I believe his tenure should end on 29 November 2027,” he insisted.

Okonkwo further maintained that if the Federal Government had insisted there was a breakdown of law and order, then the proper step would have been to extend elections by six months, not truncate Fubara’s tenure.