“Rivers people must decide what they want, either to support good or evil, either to be on the part of light or darkness. The selfish ambition of one singular man with his gangs cannot override over more than 10 million population of the Rivers citizens”
By Mark Orgu, News/Comments
The political twist in Rivers state will not end soon, even after the supreme court ruling few weeks ago, restoring the defected 27 lawmakers. Although, the apex court have been criticized by some Nigerians especially senior lawyers. The recent one is from the 11-member independent judiciary accountability panel, which included three retired justices.
In their statement released on March 14, 2025 during their inaugural meeting in Abuja, led by retired justice Mojeed Owoade of the court of appeal, bluntly criticized the apex court’s handling of appeals arising from Rivers state from legal disputes. The panel wondered how the highest court in the land could leave ambiguity concerning the defection of the 27 lawmakers, stressing that, it portend danger and vacuum and even remaining silient on the issues of defection without actually addressing it.
The Panel stressed however that public trust on Judiciary is dying gradually and advised the apex court to be simplistic in their ruling rather than lengthy, complex and confusing judgement: “Complex and lengthy judgements of courts defy easy comprehension and therefore undermine public trust”
It is true that if a nation wants to be destroyed, it is easy through the judiciary, but that is if the citizens allow it. And that is why we talk about citizens power and rights to gang up against political traders who wants to undermine a just democratic processes using corrupt institutions.
Unfortunately, the three arms of government, the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary who have been entrusted to manage both the human and natural resources of the land have over the years failed the people. It is now in the hands of the people to use their power (The masses power) to correct the years of political damage, compromise and corruption melted on them.
Rivers people must decide what they want, either to support good or evil, either to be on the part of light or darkness. The selfish ambition of one singular man with his gangs cannot override over more than 10 million population of the Rivers citizens. What is the fighting for, to control the state resource and remain an emperor.
Chief Nyesom Wike, the former governor of the state, and Minister of FCT should be grateful to God, for having what many are crying for daily to have. The benevolence of God has been burning as light in his life, from Local government chairman, to Chief of State, to Minister, and to Governor, now also a Minister. What else can a man ask of God. It is a total act of greediness and ingratitude for a man like Wike to still want to control Rivers state. Look at how he entered Alabama with multiple security aides, like a conquered hero. I thought he would have gone there with few security aides. He boasted there that Governor Fubara is already down.
Now, The people of Ijaw nation and Ikwerre have lived and married together, for centuries, so, why should they allow the ambition of one man to divide and rule game. Indeed, in the whole crisis, it is the whole Rivers people that are suffering. There must be a united front against this gang up against the peace of Rivers state.
I was privilege to speak with a prominent king in the state yesterday night who told me, that absolute power corrupts absolutely:
“I don’t know what a man is looking for in this world after all this years of power and all of that. They don’t care, particularly the man Wike, I learnt he was in town, it is his own town, he is free to come, it is his own place, but he is doing a lot of damage, that is the choice he made. So, if he disagree, what do we do, is to reconcile them. Fortunately, I am among the elders, we tried to reach out to see what we can do, nothing seems to change. It has political undertone and political situation, and that is why Mr. President is there.”
Rivers is bleeding politically, and lovers of democracy must join hands to protect the sanctity of the River people. Rivers people should not relent otherwise very soon, they will all be denied their birthright through institutional rascality and if that happens, there will be no hiding place for no one.
There is no doubt that the Supreme Court ruling further made the state to bleed more of unknown political future with the seizure of the state monthly allocation, directing the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara to recognize the defected 27 lawmakers, who openly organized a rally and declared their defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Apex Court also annulled the local government election and ordered the state governor to conduct a fresh election, which the state is now preparing a fresh election on August 9, even with the frustration being paraded by the defected lawmakers, issuing threat here and there. In fact, they issued warrant arrest against the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), retired Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli, for not appearing on invitation from the lawmakers to come and defend the funds used for the October 5, 2024 local government election conducted in the state-the retired judge didn’t honour that invitation. In fact, the retired judge did well by suing the lawmakers.
The recent one was the defected lawmakers accusing the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Simeon Amadi, of certificate falsification and further directed DSS to investigate him. It is clear that the lawmakers seem to have lost direction and sense of duty. They forgot that their primary duty is to make laws.
What kind of institution is Nigeria building, an individual’s empire of supremacy and intimidation. If the situation is not curb on time, Rivers situation may consume the entire nation economically.
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