The Crisis In Rivers State Will Not Go Away Soon, Only President Bola Tinubu Can Resolve It, Says Oshoma

Liborous Oshoma, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, has weighed in on the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, suggesting that the only way to resolve the situation is for President Bola Tinubu to step in and mediate.

“The box still rests on the table of Mr. President no matter how we look at it – the only person that can call them together, Mr. President, Wike, Fubara, just three of them, no supporters, allow both parties to ventilate, after which, Mr. President can wade in to save the peace and quiet of Rivers State.”

In an interview with Arise News on Monday, Oshoma discussed the ongoing legal battle between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the federal government, as well as the broader implications for the state’s governance.

The dispute revolves around a decision by the Federal High Court, which had ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to withhold monthly allocations to Rivers State until the state government presents its budget to a properly constituted House of Assembly. Governor Fubara has appealed this decision, seeking to overturn the ruling.

Oshoma criticised the court’s involvement, stating that it is an overstep by the judiciary.

“All of this is happening because we operate a feeding bottle system of government where every month governors will all march to Abuja to collect feeding bottle, that is why a court can order or restrain a government to stop allocation to a state,” he said.

He argued that the law provides mechanisms for the state legislature to deal with any alleged violations of the appropriation act, and that it should be the responsibility of the state house of assembly, not the court, to address these issues.

“There is no provision in the law that empowers a court to do that,” Oshoma emphasised.

The crisis originated from a ruling by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which instructed the federal government to withhold funds from Rivers State until the governor presents the budget to a properly constituted House of Assembly.

Oshoma described this ruling as problematic, arguing that the governor still has authority to access state funds even in the absence of an approved budget.

“In the absence of even an appropriation law, for the first six months, the governor has power to withdraw from the consolidated revenue fund,” he stated.

Oshoma further criticised the actions of the state house of assembly, particularly the fact that only four members were involved in passing the appropriation act. He called this “an aberration” and “a joke,” arguing that the governor’s powers should not be restricted by the actions of a small group of lawmakers.

“Presentation of budget to four members of the state house of assembly, for me, is an aberration,” he said.

When asked about the implications for Governor Fubara, Oshoma noted that the issue could lead to an impeachable offense if the governor continued to spend without a properly approved budget.

“If at the end of the day, the court says ‘presentation to four members is an aberration and consistently, instead of representing the budget, you have consistently, after six months, spent money, that is an impeachable offense,’” he said.

Oshoma believes that without presidential intervention, the crisis will continue to fester.

“This particular crisis is not a crisis that will go away soon. Like I said, if the minister, Wike, was not a minister, I can tell you that he may not be this emboldening in doing what he is doing,” he said.

He further explained that the ongoing power struggle is fueled by financial interests and political positioning.

“Whether the elders like it or not, most of them have taken sides, because it’s all about funds, it’s all about money,” Oshoma concluded.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

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