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Stop crying over spilt milk, you’re gone forever, Fubara camp tells Rivers G27
For the umpteenth time, the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, were on Monday, told pointedly once again that their efforts to cling to their position after publicly declaring the defection to another party from the one under which they were elected on March 8, 2023, would come to naught.
The G27 members led by Martin Amaewhule , said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, former Governor of the state and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had in one of their engagements in the heat of their confrontation with Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor, appeared in public with the announcement that they were moving into the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the political party through which they were elected.
Against the backdrop of the back and forth engagement ever since, one of which is the alleged repudiation of their defection, the pro-Wike supporters had constantly been reminded that even if they denied ever taking the decision to become APC members, court papers in which they swore to that fact would always be there to contradict them.
This was the same point the five federal lawmakers from Rivers State who support Fubara emphasised on Monday when they told the G27 to stop parading themselves as members of the Rivers Assembly, during a solidarity visit to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Assembly that did not defect.
During the visit, which came barely a week after pro-Wike federal lawmakers paid a similar call to the Amaewhule-led Assembly, the pro-Fubara NASS members included Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro), Boma Goodhead (Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru), Boniface Emerengwa (Ikwerre/Emohua), Allison Anderson Igbiks (Okrika/Ogu-Bolo), and Manuchim Umezuruike (Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 1), were emphatic that the fate of the G27 members was already sealed.
Abiante, who spoke on behalf of the delegation stated that their visit was to provide clarity and counter misinformation by their counterparts, carpeted their pro-Wike colleagues, saying that their remarks raised concerns about the integrity of the Rivers NASS caucus, while reassuring the Oko-Jumbo-led Assembly that they were not alone, as millions of Rivers people stood with them.
Accusing them of misleading the public rather than clarifying issues in the true picture, Abiante, who emphasised that “a lie not rebutted could become the truth,” rejected claims by the pro-Wike lawmakers that a judgment by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho validated the legitimacy of the Amaewhule group.
Arguing rather that the ruling made no such pronouncement and reiterating that the 27 affected lawmakers voluntarily defected in December 2023, thereby losing their seats, he cited Supreme Court rulings in similar cases from Plateau and Ondo states, which he said was on all fours with the Rivers situation, where the courts made wasted no time stating that defection meant outright forfeiture of positions.
He also recalled the position of Walter Onnoghen former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) in Dapialong v. Dariye, which established that an Assembly could function with its remaining members until vacancies were filled, regretting that the actions of the G27, were not only bringing disgrace to legislative practices in Nigeria but beyond.
To him, the attempt by Amaewhule and his colleagues to recant their defection, was quite laughable as they had affidavits confirming their move, adding that the legal battle over the 2024 budget controversy had become irrelevant as the year had already progressed beyond the contested matters.
While reaffirming that Fubara would not act outside the law, he called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Judicial Council, and the Inspector General of Police, to ignore the misrepresentation of facts by Amaewhule and his group.
Oko-Jumbo commended, while welcoming the visitors and vowing to lead the Assembly without fear, reemphasised that the state government remained focused on governance and development rather than political distractions, as the visit had rekindled the Assembly’s confidence, adding: “The 27 lawmakers are gone.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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