Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has dismissed fears of impeachment following a recent Supreme Court ruling that shifted the balance of power in the state’s ongoing political crisis.
The court’s judgment, issued last Friday, ordered the Federal Government to halt financial allocations to the state until Fubara complies with the ruling to present the 2024 and 2025 budgets to the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers, led by Martins Amaewhule.
“The governor is on his toes and has the mandate of the Rivers people,” said Joseph Johnson, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications. “We are beginning the inauguration of projects on Monday, and we will continue to do so despite any detractors.”
Despite the court’s decision, which also nullified the local government elections conducted last year, Fubara’s administration remains firm in its stance. Johnson added, “The Supreme Court didn’t remove the governor. It merely withheld the allocations of Rivers State.”
While Fubara’s administration plans to study the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, there is tension within the state as political elders, including High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, urged Fubara not to beg his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike. “Rivers State will not succumb to unnecessary pressure,” Sara-Igbe asserted.
In response to the ruling, Fubara ordered the 23 local government chairmen to hand over to Heads of Local Government Administration by Monday, as the state prepares for fresh elections following the court’s nullification of the 2024 polls.
Despite the ongoing political turbulence, Fubara assured citizens, “We believe that we have not done anything deliberately to trample on the rule of law or the hallowed principles of constitutional governance.”