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• Pro-democracy coalition petitions ECOWAS, demands reversal of emergency rule
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has faulted the release of withheld federation allocation funds to Ibok-Ete Ibas, sole administrator of Rivers.
On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, citing the prolonged political crisis.
He suspended Fubara, Ngozi Odu, his deputy, and all house of assembly members, for six months and appointed Ibas, former chief of naval staff, as the sole administrator for Rivers.
In a post published via X, yesterday, Obi said the move raised serious moral questions.
In a statement on his X page, Obi said the decision to release the withheld funds to the sole administrator does not align with the judgment of the supreme court.
The ex-presidential candidate said the supreme court ruled that the withheld funds should be released to the state after a properly constituted house of assembly passes the appropriation bill.
“What we are witnessing in Rivers State is a brazen disobedience and disregard for the rule of law and our democratic principles,” Obi said.
“The decision to release statutory allocations to an appointed Sole Administrator, despite a standing order of the Supreme Court, is not just unlawful — it is a direct challenge to the authority of the highest court of our country.
“The Supreme Court had explicitly barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) from releasing these funds until a properly constituted House of Assembly passes a valid Appropriation Act.
“Yet, we see a situation where this order is being ignored. This raises serious moral intentions, and questions of what is happening in Rivers State.
“By disregarding the judgment of the Supreme Court, those involved are setting a dangerous precedent.
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“The CBN and AGF, institutions meant to uphold the law, should not be complicit in this disregard for our judiciary.
“We cannot build a nation where those who swore oaths to uphold our constitution and obey the laws are doing the opposite.
“This is about more than just Rivers State; it is about protecting the very fabric of our democracy, and our existence as a nation.”
Meanwhile, a pro-democracy coalition, the Concerned Nigerians in Defence of Democratic Governance, has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demand the immediate reinstatement of Fubara and other suspended officials in the state.
The coalition in a petition jointly signed by Aliyu Tanko, Bello Adamu, Nnamdi Ekwueme, Nicholas Upelle, Sadiq Alao and Oche Oche, dated March 24 and addressed to Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, said the emergency rule is unconstitutional and sets a “dangerous precedent” for democratic governance in Nigeria and the West African region.
“This has implications for how the West African subregion will fare in the future.
“Permit us to point out that the political crises that led to the formation of the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES) and the subsequent exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) did not emanate at the national levels of these nation-states; the crises began as issues at the subnational levels of these countries before escalating to national challenges that provoked military interventions.
“At the core of the disintegration, staring ECOWAS in the face is the serial injustices that national governments unleash on the constituent units of each nation.
“The sub-region has looked to Nigeria to play a pivotal role in managing the fallouts of the political situation created by this ugly development.
“Your Excellency, the threat to democratic expression in Nigeria has become so bad that the remaining 35 governors, through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have come out to openly declare that they will not interfere in President Tinubu’s dictatorial imposition of emergency rule.”
The coalition said if ECOWAS failed to act, the situation could escalate into a major crisis.
