Calls for an urgent national stakeholder meeting to resolve the power tussle between Wike and Fubara
By Williams Adesoji
Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s frontline social critic, human rights and pro-democracy activist, Comrade Igbotako Nowinta, has warned President Bola Tinubu, to stop the process of using the selfish desires of Nyesome Wike, current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to punish the innocent masses of Rivers State.
Comrade Nowinta, an international conflict resolution expert, who doubles as the Executive Director, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre (NGGRC), made this assertion via a press release titled: “We See The Hand Of Esau In The Current Escalating Crisis In Rivers State”, which he gave to journalists in Abuja on Friday November 1, 2024.
It would be recalled that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday October 29, 2024, stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria, from further releasing monthly financial allocations to Rivers State Government.
The presiding judge held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Governor Siminalayi Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to constitutional provision.
But in a swift reaction, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on the same day, Wednesday appealed to the Federal High Court, Abuja’s judgment which retrained the Central Bank of Nigeria from further releasing allocations from the federation account to the state.
This came as the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, celebrated one of the failed attempts to impeach him by the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly loyal to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.
Comrade Nowinta said that the “battle of political supremacy being fought recklessly by Mr. Wike and Mr. Fubara in Rivers State, has been escalated by the recent court judgement in Abuja, which glaringly demonstrated the fact that the Presidency is the alleged hand of Esau in such unfortunate judicial pronouncement.”
Nowinta questioned why Mr. President who had been canvasing for true federalism before grabbing the highest political power in the land, must not use his executive powers now, to force through or commence such process in the National Assembly, for the betterment of our country.
He warned that any attempt to seize Rivers State statutory entitlement represents fragments of fascism and brutal dictatorship, positing: “It contravenes fundamental principle of fiscal federalism; and those who orchestrated this judicial coup should be seen as champions of predatory politics.”
Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre (NGGRC), he stated view the escalation of the ongoing conflict situation as unfortunate and pathetic; “and as conflict resolution experts, we expected President Bola Tinubu, who is the constitutional head of government in Nigeria, to have long stopped this unnecessary fire now consuming Rivers State.”
“Common sense dictates that when a spark of fire is noticed within a house for instance, it is the duty of the head of the house to quickly prevent it from spreading, but in Rivers State, President Tinubu has taken sides with a very notorious trouble shooter, a self aggrandized fellow who do not believe in constitutional democracy, nor in the normal running of the process of rule of law”.
“The battle of political supremacy being fought recklessly by Mr. Wike and Mr. Fubara in Rivers State, has been escalated by the recent court judgement in Abuja, which glaringly demonstrated the fact that the Presidency is the alleged hand of Esau in such unfortunate judicial pronouncement”
“The fact of the matter is that both Mr. Wike and the incumbent Governor, Fubara have ran foul of the law in their naked display of political insanity, but as experts in this field there is no alternative to sincere dialogue which would result in win – win situation.”
“We dare to declare that President Tinubu can’t use Wike’s selfish desires to punish the masses of Rivers State. Who would be at the receiving end if the current situation leads to the declaration of the state of emergency?”
Nowinta said the masses of course, the innocent people on the streets are at the receiving end of this reckless behavior of the government because when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.
He called on Mr. President to put in place an urgent national stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the power tussle between Mr. Wike and Mr. Fubara, adding “the judicial pronouncement stopping federal allocation to Rivers State is simply a recipe for further anarchy.”
