Kehinde Fajobi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged the judiciary to avoid actions that could ignite tensions in Rivers State, following a Federal High Court ruling that ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend payments to the state.
In a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku expressed concern over the ruling, suggesting that “some elements loyal to the Federal Government were pulling the strings from behind.”
He questioned why Justice Joyce Abdulmalik would issue the order despite Rivers State already appealing a recent Court of Appeal decision that declared the state’s 2024 budget illegal.
“Last week, the Court of Appeal declared that the Rivers State budget was illegal because it was passed by an inchoate assembly,” Atiku said.
“The court ordered Governor Siminalayi Fubara to present the budget afresh. The Rivers State Government has already filed a notice of appeal so that the Supreme Court can hear the matter.”
Atiku suggested that figures within the current administration were seeking to undermine the judiciary’s integrity, stating, “Some elements in the Bola Tinubu administration have procured a judgment intended to undermine the Supreme Court.”
He also cited legal expert Femi Falana’s warning to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court about potential judicial compromise, which Atiku said was ignored.
Atiku commended Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun for summoning judges involved in Rivers State cases, while urging that “those found wanting be disciplined” to help restore trust in the judiciary.
Reflecting on the state of governance since Tinubu took office, Atiku said, “Nigeria has descended into the theatre of the absurd. Courts are playing a more ignoble role in fostering political crises within parties and states.”
He compared the current judicial conflicts to the post-June 12, 1993, era, warning of a potential return to “dark days” where judicial influence hindered democracy.
Atiku argued that continued judicial interference could harm both domestic stability and foreign investment.
“Nigerians are gradually losing confidence in an institution which prides itself as the last hope of the common man,” he said. “Foreign investors will avoid any place where judgments can be bought by the highest bidder.”
He cautioned against creating instability in a state like Rivers, which he noted accounts for nearly 25% of Nigeria’s oil assets, critical to the country’s economy already strained by vandalism and banditry.
“For a country facing an economic crisis, worsened by vandalism and banditry, Tinubu should put his 2027 ambition aside and put Nigeria’s interest first,” Atiku advised.
He concluded by calling on the judiciary to “restore its image before it gets too late.”