Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, APC, has alerted that after failing to truncate last Saturday’s Rivers State Council Polls, that plans have allegedly been concluded by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, to procure a court order to embargo the Local Governments Federal Allocations.
The Source reports that the FCT Minister and immediate past Governor of Rivers state, had made several unsuccessful attempts to stop the polls, mostly through proxies.
The last of such efforts was the Abuja Federal High Court order issued by the Hon Justice Lifu .
The Court among other things ruled to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from availing the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC ,the national voters register ,as well as stopping the police from providing security before and during the election .
The election, however, was successfully conducted as originally planned. The Action Peoples Party APP, the adopted party of the Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s supporters swept the polls.
Nyesom Wike
The APP won the Chairmanship of 22 out of the 23 local councils declared yesterday by the Justice Enebale led RSIEC .
The Chairmanship of Etche Council was won by the Candidate of the AD.
But in a statement on Sunday October 6, 2024 ,Frank informed that the FCT Minister is bent on using the court to halt the wheel of administration in the oil rich state.
“As we speak, Wike is putting finishing touches to plans to secure a kangaroo court order to stop monthly funds allocation to Local Government Areas in Rivers State. This must not be allowed to happen.
“Wike will tomorrow ( Monday) or any day soonapproach a Federal High Court in Abuja with spurious writ ,with prayers that the monthly funds allocation to the 22 LGAs which results have been concluded should henceforth be withheld with claims that the election was held in violation of a court ruling”, the former APC spokesperson alleged .
He has, however, admonished Wike and his cohorts to perish the thought ,and explore other tenable means to pursue whatever differences that exit between him and his successor, Governor Fubara .
Similarly, the Bayelsa-born political activist ,has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to allow himself and his administration to be used by the FCT Minister in prosecuting his personal and selfish battles .
He warned that the continued identification with, and support for Wike’s gross acts of impunity will ultimately hurt the democratic credentials of the President .
Comrade Frank insisted that the President should at all cost try to distance his administration from the spate of retrogressive pronouncements by the Nigerian courts on the Rivers state crisis.
” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot afford to fold his arms and watch as Wike plots to undermine democracy in Rivers state and by extension Nigeria.
“The anti-democratic tendencies of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who seized funds meant for Local councils in Lagos during Tinubu’s administration as Governor must not be allowed to repeat itself in Rivers state.
“Any action capable of truncating democracy in the country, similar to ongoing scenarios in some West African States must be avoided.
“The people of Rivers State have elected their Council Chairmen and Councilors in line with the recent ruling of the Supreme Court to democratize all LGAs in Nigeria and any attempt to truncate democracy in Rivers would be resisted by. the people”, the former APC Chieftain warned .
He cautioned Judicial Officers against being used by Wike to perpetrate impunity, as well as strangulate the economy of Rivers state .
According to him, the continued issuance of frivolous orders is seriously undermining the integrity of the Judiciary, and ridiculing it before the civilized world .
He also condemned the seemingly, alleged, open partisanship of the Nigerian Police in the festering Rivers State crisis .
He urged the Police to provide security for all the State’s residents ,instead of converting itself to an arm of APC as a party.
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