Rivers: Court Order Invitation To Anarchy – Wabara

An erstwhile Senate President and the Chairman Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Adolphus Wabara, has expressed disappointment over Wednesday’s judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which ordered the seizure of statutory allocations to Rivers State Government.

The former Senate President described the judgment as judicial insensitivity and an invitation to anarchy, adding that that the judiciary has failed Nigeria.

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Wabara warned that the “ill-conceived court order is capable of cutting off Nigeria’s oil revenue” as youths in the state might be tempted to return to the creeks in response.

He further argued that if the judiciary had handled Rivers’s crisis “professionally abinitio, instead of dishing out conflicting intentional orders and judgements, Rivers State wouldn’t have been in this judicial mess.”

“But for these intentional orders and judgments, INEC would have conducted an election to replace the 27 lawmakers who have constitutionally lost their seats”, Senator Wabara fumed.

He further thundered:”These judges have gone haywire. Nigeria is gone! The judiciary has failed Nigeria. As far as I’m concerned, Nigeria is gone!

“Can they (judges) also give an order that the allocation meant for the judiciary be stopped?”

The former Senate President who recalled that he had earlier warned that the smouldering political crisis in Rivers, was capable of consuming Nigeria if unchecked, urged President Bola Tinubu to act fast.

“I had earlier advised President Tinubu to wade in and stop the mess in Rivers because this crisis in Rivers State, if not stopped, is capable of consuming Nigeria.

“Do they know that Rivers’ allocation is not for Gov. Siminalayi Fubara but for the development of the entire state? And what it means in essence is that workers will not be paid and Government activities halted. Did the judge think of the multiplier effect on the peace and security of the state?

“I’m not a lawyer but I believe that certain judgments should follow logic, and not just somebody sitting down to issue a corrupt judgement. This judgment will just grind Rivers State to a halt, and by so doing, they are inviting anarchy and restiveness because the people might be tempted to go back to the creeks,” he said.

The court presided by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a suit by the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, found that Governor Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member House of Assembly breached constitutional protocol.

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Justice Abdulmalik highlighted that since January; Rivers State has received and spent allocations based on an “illegitimate” budget, describing this as a “constitutional aberration.”

The court order further restricts the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the state’s accounts at Zenith Bank and Access Bank from releasing any funds to Gov. Fubara.

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