Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, expressed serious concerns regarding the recent court ruling that suspended federal allocations to Rivers State, calling it a troubling development that jeopardizes the livelihoods of vulnerable citizens.
In a statement shared on X on Friday, Obi reacted to the decision, which was handed down by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing further monthly allocations to the Rivers State Government, citing alleged constitutional violations by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling, determined that Governor Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member House of Assembly was in breach of constitutional protocol.
She pointed out that since January, Rivers State has received and utilized funds based on an illegitimate budget, calling it a “constitutional aberration.”
The court’s order also restricts the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the state’s accounts at Zenith Bank and Access Bank from releasing any funds to Fubara.
In response to the ruling, Obi stated, “In my political trajectory, I have consistently refrained from name-calling or engaging in personal disputes, choosing instead to focus on issues that directly impact the masses, particularly the suffering poor of Nigeria.
Despite the national attention the Rivers State crisis has gained, I have largely stayed away from matters specific to a state, but a recent court judgment halting allocations to the state and the resulting consequences demands attention.
This curious decision now calls upon every well-meaning Nigerian to appeal for its immediate reversal.”
Obi emphasized the potential dire effects of the allocation suspension on vulnerable groups, including pensioners, health workers, teachers, civil servants, and ordinary citizens.
He remarked, “Consider the pensioner struggling to survive on a meagre income alongside the health workers, school teachers, civil servants, and everyday citizens whose lives are already marked by severe hardship.
How much more can they endure?”
He further cautioned that this ruling could exacerbate the difficulties faced by already struggling Nigerians, stating, “This latest development risks pushing them even further into distress even into untimely deaths by compounding the challenges they face each day.”
Obi concluded by urging leaders across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to prioritize the well-being of the less privileged, stressing the need for a commitment to a better future for all Nigerians.
“As we work towards a better future for all, we must genuinely care about the poor and prioritize the well-being of every Nigerian.
What we do today should lay the foundation for a new Nigeria that is possible,” he added.
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