Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Sunday, assured the people of the state that he would implement the recent Supreme Court judgment over the lingering political crisis in the state without reservation.
But, Fubara, who warned that the state might be back to trying times after the recent Supreme Court ruling has handed victory to his estranged benefactor and tormentor, Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, however, sued for calm in the state.
However, in view of the development, the governor has ordered the Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to immediately take over the administration of the 23 local government councils pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Fubara, in a statewide broadcast in Port Harcourt, on Sunday, said though he disagreed with the judgment, he was bound to obey the orders made as he runs a law-abiding government.
He stressed that his administration would take necessary action on the judgment only after his legal team has received and analysed the implications.
“We are all aware of the recent Supreme Court judgments and pronouncements regarding aspects of the lingering political disputes in our dear State.
“Although we disagree with the judgments, we are bound to obey the orders made therein as a law-abiding government,” he said.
The governor emphasised that, “Since inception, we have conducted the affairs of government within the framework of our constitution, due process and rule of law.
“While we are not above mistakes because we are human, we believe that we have not, as a government, done anything deliberate to trample on the rule of law or the hallowed principles of constitutional governance.
“Accordingly, I have had a meeting with my team of lawyers and they have assured me that the certified true copy of the judgments may be available to them by Friday March 7, 2025.”
Fubara assured that on receiving the certified copies of the judgments, he would study their ramifications and implement them without reservations to move the state forward.
He said, “Furthermore, given the outlawing of caretaker arrangements in the local government system, I hereby direct the Heads of Local Government Administration to immediately take over the administration of the 23 local government councils pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
“I further direct the outgoing local government chairmen to formally hand over the levers of power to the Heads of Local Government Administration by Monday, 3rd March, 2025.”
Fubara, therefore warned that, “Although our dear state seems to be back in trying times, I urge everyone to remain calm and peacefully go about with their legitimate daily activities as we continue to do everything in our power to advance our responsibilities to the citizens.”
Earlier, the Rivers State Elders Council, has urged Fubara and the 27 lawmakers to ensure that all necessary steps were taken in conformity with their constitutional responsibilities.
In a statement by Chairman of the council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, he congratulated Rivers people on what he described as “well-rounded pronouncements of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered on Friday, February 28, 2025, on the political crises in the State.”
The elders council further commended the people of the State “for their resilience, patience and peaceful disposition throughout the period of the crises in the State, while awaiting the final verdict of the apex court of the land on all the matters.”
Meanwhile, a political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has condemned the Supreme Court verdict ordering the withdrawal of local government allocations in Rivers State.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Frank described the ruling as a “criminal usurpation” of funds rightfully belonging to the people of Rivers State.
In the statement, he warned that any unrest resulting from the ruling should be blamed on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
“From the illegal judgment that emerged from the Supreme Court against the Rivers State Government, the whole world knows that this is the most fraudulent ruling ever delivered in the history of Nigeria.
“How can the Supreme Court give such an anti-truth, anti-God, inhuman, and compromised judgment designed to help the opposition APC take over Rivers State?
“This is a clear indication that the Supreme Court under Justice Kekere-Ekun, lacks the capacity to reform the judiciary and has instead turned justice into a commodity for the highest bidder,” he alleged.
