Rivers Crisis: Ohanaeze Chieftain Urges Tinubu, Ex-governors, Deputies to Mediate

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

A chiefiain of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Ugochukwu Nduwuisi has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governors of Rivers State and their deputies to quickly mediate in the current political impasse in the state in order to find an enduring solution.
In a statement made available to THISDAY on Monday, Nduwuisi who was the founder and president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Spain, urged the former leaders of the state to speak out now and invite Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his predecessor and current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike to resolve the problem before it gets out of hand.
Citing the recent federal high court ruling directing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop further monthly allocations to the state, Nduwuisi said: “The former governors of Rivers State and their former deputies should speak out now and invite both parties and possiblly include President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to mediate and resolve this problem at this early stage so that other states don’t start emulating this fraudulent/manipulated legal route as a new trend to frustrate the entire country’s democratic process.”
He advised judges not be in a hurry to deliver judgement on certain cases presented to them so that their integrity would not be in doubt.
The Ohanaeze chieftain recalled what he described as the good works of Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State for eight years before being appointed the current FCT Minister
According to him, Governor Fubara took up the mantle of leadership after that and set to continue the good works from where his predecessor stoped so that the people of Rivers State and residents can enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Recall that a federal high court in Abuja presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had on October 10, 2024 issued an order barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from further disbursing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State Government.
The ruling also extended to the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), as well as Zenith Bank and Access Bank, where the state holds accounts.
In her judgment, Justice Abdulmalik ruled that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s receipt and use of monthly allocations since January 2024 constituted a violation of the constitution that can not be permitted to continue.
The judge described Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly as a direct affront to constitutional requirement, adding that the governor’s implementation of the budget reflects a gross breach of the 1999 Constitution, which he is bound to uphold.