A COURT PRONOUNCED THAT FUBARA DIDN’T PRESENT BUDGET, HE DIDN’T GO ON APPEAL

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A COURT PRONOUNCED THAT FUBARA DIDN’T PRESENT BUDGET, HE DIDN’T GO ON APPEAL

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has alleged that a court had ruled that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara had not presented a legal budget, but he did not appeal the decision.

He further highlighted the disregard for legal procedures where despite a Court of Appeal judgment stating that the State High Court lacks jurisdiction over defection and vacancy matters, cases are still filed in the State High Court by the Pro Fubara Lawmakers.

He argued that it is unacceptable to stand by and watch these illegalities unfold. He asserted that if the court pronounces that the 27 lawmakers have defected, then they would obey the law.

He said in an interview with TVC, ”Because you want to take control of a State, is that why you should allow impunity?

“A Court pronounced that he (Fubara) did not present a budget and that whatever budget he said he had presented is null and void. But he didn’t go on appeal.

“The Court of Appeal gave a judgment that the state High Court has no jurisdiction to talk about defection or vacancy and that it is the Federal High Court that has the jurisdiction.

“But they will still go to the State High Court to file case with a different judge and that judge will grant an ex-parte order with immediate effect.

“You see all these kinds of Illegality going on in the state and you say we should fold out hands and watch, no we cannot do that.

“I have no grouse with anybody. If the Court make a pronouncement that the 27 lawmakers have defected, then they will obey the law.”

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.

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WIKE, FUBARA CAMPS TO BATTLE OVER FIVE CASES IN SUPREME COURT FEBRUARY 10

WIKE, FUBARA CAMPS TO BATTLE OVER FIVE CASES IN SUPREME COURT COURT FEBRUARY 10 The political camps of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, will on February 10 lock horns in five separate cases instituted against each other at the Supreme Court. The two camps on Monday shifted their legal battles over irreconcilable differences concerning Rivers State matters to the apex court, where five different cases were found to have been filed against each other and subsequently fixed for February 10 for determination. A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, ordered an adjournment in the cases to enable the parties to file and serve the necessary court documents in the separate appeals. For ease of determination, however, the court ordered the consolidation of four of the appeals, following a request to that effect by the appellants’ counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, who represented the Wike camp. The four appeals the court consolidated for ease of hearing are: SC/CV/1174/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Government and nine others; SC/CV/1175/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Governor and nine others; SC/CV/1176/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, and nine others; and SC/CV/1177/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Accountant General of Rivers State and nine others. Earlier, following a request for the withdrawal of a cross-appeal filed on November 18, 2024, in SC/CV/1071A/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the National Assembly and 16 others, Justice Aba-Aji announced that hearing has been fixed for February 10, 2025. Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in a judgment delivered on January 22, 2024, faulted the presentation of the 2024 budget to four members of the State House of Assembly loyal to the governor. Omotosho had then ordered the governor to re-present the budget to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Flowing from the judgment of Justice Omotosho, a sister court, also in the Abuja division, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, had ordered the stoppage of the release of allocations from the federal government to Rivers State until the governor presented the budget before the Amaewhule-led assembly. However, while the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of Justice Omotosho, it upturned that of Justice Abdulmalik on the grounds of grave injustice in the findings and decisions. Similarly, the Court of Appeal, in another judgment, upturned the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had ruled against the conduct of the October 5, 2024, local government council election on the grounds that due process of Rivers State law on local government elections had not been followed. At today’s proceedings, about 50 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, represented the two camps, along with a retinue of other junior lawyers. The camp of Governor Fubara was led by Chris Uche while that of Wike was anchored by Joseph Bodunde Daudu.

I CAN’T SETTLE RIFT WITH FUBARA – WIKE

I CAN’T SETTLE RIFT WITH FUBARA – WIKE The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has downplayed the possibility of resolving his conflict with Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State. Wike criticised Fubara and his camp for refusing to carry out the directive issued by President Bola Tinubu during the peace meeting he convened. He noted that Fubara and his supporters should have returned to Tinubu to explain their inability to implement all the directives issued by the president. Wike made this disclosure during a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday. Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads since Fubara became governor. The face-off between the two stems from a struggle for control of the state’s political and structural resources. The rift has also affected the state House of Assembly, with 27 members defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Furthermore, the conflict has led to the emergence of factional speakers and a parallel assembly. At the press briefing, Wike said: “I’m wondering, what conflict to resolve? Mr President, in his wisdom, called all parties. He said withdraw the impeachment notice, you go and do this, you go and do that, but they never returned to him. “The Assembly withdrew the impeachment notice; you did one and two, and then you sent people to go to court. Elder, have you gone back to Mr President to tell him we can’t do three and four? Nothing. “I have never seen this in my life — for a president to call parties, and one party goes back and says it’s political. Who does that?”

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