Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday accused the Nigerian judiciary of setting fire in Rivers State.
News About Nigeria reports that the former vice president made the allegation following the restriction by the Federal High Court, Abuja, which stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing funds to Governor Siminalayi Fubara until he re-presents the state’s 2024 budget.
Speaking in a statement signed by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said it was appalling that “some elements loyal to the Federal Government were pulling the strings from behind” the scenes.
Atiku wondered why Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order when it was public knowledge that Rivers State had already challenged the Court of Appeal’s judgement on the legality of Rivers State’s 2024 budget.
The statement partly reads, “Last week, the Court of Appeal declared that the Rivers State budget was illegal because it was passed by an inchoate assembly. 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. However, some elements in the Bola Tinubu administration have procured a judgement intended to undermine the Supreme Court. Even before the judgment was delivered, legal luminary Femi Falana (SAN) had alerted the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, of possible compromise after house gifts had been presented to judges in Abuja.
“Sadly, Falana’s warning was ignored. Nigeria has descended into the theatre of the absurd since the Tinubu administration took office. Courts are playing a more ignoble role in fostering political crises within political parties and even in states. From the emirship tussle in Kano State to the Rivers imbroglio where courts are going as far as preventing elections from holding, taking Nigeria back to the dark days of June 12, 1993 where polls were annulled. Sadly, under the leadership of those who claim to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy, the country is descending into chaos with conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction flying all over the place while judges are being induced in the name of empowerment and provision of houses. The result is that Nigerians are gradually losing confidence in an institution which prides itself as the last hope of the common man. Foreign investors will avoid any place where judgements can be bought by the highest bidder.”
