Governor Fubara knows what to do to resolve political crisis in Rivers state – Okocha

The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, has stated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara knows exactly what steps are needed to address the ongoing political crisis in the state.

He made this assertion at a press conference in Abuja while reacting to a recent court ruling that halted revenue allocation for Rivers State’s 23 local government areas.

The Federal High Court in Abuja recently issued an order preventing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing funds to the state from the consolidated revenue account. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, presiding over the case, ruled that Governor Fubara’s 2024 budget presentation—made before only four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly—violated constitutional requirements.

Addressing the press, Chief Okocha emphasized that abiding by the law is essential for peace in Rivers State. “We want peace, and the only way to bring peace is to follow the law,” he stated.

Okocha argued that the governor’s failure to heed previous rulings, including counsel from the President and judgments from the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, had intensified the state’s crisis.

According to him, “If the governor had adhere to Justice Omotoso’s judgment, if he had listened to the counsel of Mr. President, if he had listened to the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal recently, all of this would have disappeared.

“Why did the governor want only four people to approve the budget? Four persons will never, ever constitute a quorum!”.

Okocha also addressed claims that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu bear responsibility for the ongoing crisis. He claimed that Wike, who introduced Fubara to politics, remains a significant influence in the governor’s political career.

“Wike brought Fubara to where he is today. He lifted him from obscurity to political crescendo . Nobody is suffocating anybody. The fight in Rivers state is between Fubara and Fubara”, he added.

Okocha further criticized the psychological “blackmailing” of President Tinubu and Wike regarding the recent court ruling on the case in Rivers State, stressing the need to follow the law.

“Wike is not in any way suffocating Fubara, as has been alleged.

“We stand with and by the court, and not with any strong man’s morality. It is not right for anyone to start proclaiming self-righteousness,” he emphasized.