Monday, March 10, 2025 - The Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has called for the immediate reversal of the recent Supreme Court judgement regarding Rivers State.
The
National Chairman of PANDEF, Amb. Godknows Igali, in an interview on Channels
Television, noted particularly that it would be difficult for the State to
function well without its allocations from the Federal government.
One of the key-points of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the
crisis rocking Rivers State was an order for the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to withhold monthly allocations meant for Rivers State.
The
court faulted Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s decisions to work with a small
fraction of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, ordering the
Martin Amaewhule-led 27 legislators to resume their duties at
the Assembly.
Governor
Fubara has since announced his intention to obey the court ruling.
When
asked to share his initial reaction to the governor’s response to this
particular issue, Igali said, “Many people were surprised at the judgment, but
then the Supreme Court has exercised its constitutional responsibilities.
“As a
neutral arbiter, we will call all parties to observe the laws so that there can
be an amicable settlement of these issues.
“There’s
a lot of dependence on federal allocations to run the whole process of
governance, particularly social services, and we know that it’s not the first
time it has happened in terms of judicial pronouncements in Nigeria, but we
know that the Supreme Court has always been very careful.
“It is
in extreme cases that issues of withholding of allocations have been ruled
upon. That is because it has a lot of implications as it affects the livelihood
of ordinary citizens.
“It
could create a situation where the particular sub-national is not able to
perform its duties and could create social upheaval, as hospitals need all
forms of medication, even newborn babies need to be taken care of.
“All the
vulnerable need to be cared for, our schools, public sanitation and services.
So anything that with-hold financial resources that goes to the states is a
very serious matter, and we felt worried.
“There
were a lot of calls and a lot of requests on that, hence our appeal to the
Supreme Court that when the opportunity creates itself, to look at this matter
again.
“If we
look at the history of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, there have been cases
where the court has had to look back, and regurgitate on some of its decisions,
particularly where the overall social impact is pervasive and it is punitive.”
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