By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Rivers State Government has dismissed the speculations that the Supreme Court ruling delivered on Friday, last week, has caused untold fear and worry for the state’s helmsman, Siminalayi Fubara over the security of his position.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, explained that governor Fubara is not deterred by what he described as “the shenanigans of detractors of the state.”
He added that the apex court’s verdict can’t alter the dynamics of power in the state to the extent of climaxing with Fubara’s removal from office as it’s being insinuated in some quarters.
Johnson said this on Sunday while reacting to his principal’s last night’s broadcast on the political developments in Rivers.
He stressed that despite Friday’s judgment, which shifted the balance of power in favour of the pro-Wike lawmakers, governor Fubara is not nursing any fear of impeachment.
“Afraid of what? The governor is on his toes and he has the mandate of the Rivers people. The governor will obey the law, respect the sanctity of the law and respect the opinions of Rivers people.
“We are beginning the inauguration of projects on Monday and in the next 10 days, we will be inaugurating projects.
“The governor is not daunted by the shenanigans of detractors of the state.
“The Supreme Court didn’t remove the governor. It merely withholds the allocations of Rivers State.”
Asked whether Fubara will comply with the order to take the budget before the pro-Wike lawmakers, Johnson said the state government was still awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment to study it and guide its decision.
“I cannot say whether we will implement it or not. Let us see what the judgment says, evaluate it and then we will be able to do according to the law without hurting the law or Rivers people,” Johnson said.
He insisted that Amaewhule and 26 others were no longer members of the state Assembly.
“We got a judgment from the Rivers State High Court that said they are no longer members of the state Assembly.
“We got to the Court of Appeal, which said that a state High Court had no jurisdiction.
“If you follow this move, you will agree that obviously the Supreme Court, which is the apex court that we respect, made a pronouncement based on the facts before it,” he added.
Recall that in its far-reaching verdict on Friday, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to stop financial allocation to Rivers State until Fubara retraces his steps and presents the State’s budget to the pro-Wike lawmakers, led by Martins Amaewhule.
The court also nullified the local government election conducted last year by Fubara.The apex court judgment put the balance of power in the hands of Wike and the lawmakers in the state’s political crisis, which started in October 2023.
At the height of the political crisis between Fubara and his estranged political godfather, the Rivers State House of Assembly has split into two, with 27 lawmakers backing Wike, while four others pitched their tent with Fubara.
In October 2023, the pro-Wike lawmakers had first attempted to impeach Fubara, a move countered by the governor, leading to the destruction of the Assembly complex by a bomb explosion.
Insisting that the pro-Wike lawmakers had lost their legislative seats following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, Fubara had shunned the 27 lawmakers and rather presented the 2024 and 2025 budgets to the four-member Assembly loyal to him.
However, in its Friday judgment, the Supreme Court described Fubara’s action as illegal and ordered him to take the budget to the pro-Wike lawmakers.
