S.C. Ruling: A Declaration Of War On Rivers People – Eze, APC Chieftain 

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Also declares Friday, February 28th, black day for democracy

The Supreme Court judgment, Friday, February 28, 2025 ,on  some issues central to the festering Rivers State crisis has been described as an open  declaration of war on the good people of the State.

A chieftain of the factional  All Progressive Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Chief  Chukwuemeka Eze, in a statement issued on Friday, also called the day ” a black Friday for Democracy ” in the country.

The Source reports that a Supreme Court panel of five Justices had, in its ruling affirmed the  27pro-Wike defected law  makers as  members of the State House of Assembly.

Similarly, the panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, but whose verdict was read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, directed the State Governor to re-present the State’s 2025 appropriation bill to the Legislators.

The Supreme Court described  the presentation of the budget to only four  members of the House, as done by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, an aberration.

Subsequently, the Apex Court directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and all other relevant authorities to withhold the monthly statutory allocations to Rivers State, pending when the State’s 2025 appropriation bill will be considered and passed by the legislators  including the 27 Pro-Wike law makers.

However ,while reacting to the development, Chief Eze expressed serious concern about the implications of the judgment.

He expressed regret that the nation’s Apex Court could rule to reinstall the Martin Amaewfule-led Lawmakers after the overwhelming evidence confirming their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the APC.

According to him, it is a known fact that the 27 Lawmakers had, in December, 2023, openly declared allegiance to the APC, after resigning their membership of the PDP that provided the platform for their election.

” For the Supreme Court to ignore these facts and ask Amaewhule and his group to continue sitting is not only unfortunate, wicked, evil and undemocratic, but also a direct declaration of war on the people of Rivers State and Nigeria’s democracy” Chief Eze stated.

The APC stalwart whose group is battling the Tony Okocha-led faction for the control of the soul of APC in Rivers State, therefore, called on  well meaning Nigerians to see the situation as not just an attack on Governor Fubara, but as a dangerous assault on the country’s democracy.

Particularly, Chief Eze expressed serious worries over the decision of the Supreme Court to halt Federal Allocations to Rivers all in a bid to satisfy the whims and caprices of one man, he said.

According to him, the halting of the remission of the State’s Statutory allocation, is a clear attempt to cripple Rivers, incidentally the State that oils the country’s economic machine.

While commending the State Governor for having so far fought to bring to the public glare  how the selfish interests of one man has sought to stifle the growth and development of  Rivers State, he nevertheless foresees the unfolding of some events within the political landscape.