By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT, Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike, has lauded the Supreme Court ruling over the Rivers State budget presented by the governor Siminalayi Fubara to just three members of the House of Assembly.
Wike stated that the judgment is a reaffirmation of the rule of law in the country and a victory for democracy in Nigeria.
The minister who spoke on Friday to journalists said, “the judgment is a clear message that democracy cannot exist without a legislature”, as he condemned the actions of the Rivers State government in recognizing only a faction of the Assembly.
“The Supreme Court has made it very clear that you cannot have a democracy without a legislature. It is unheard of for three people to sit somewhere and claim to be making laws for an entire state,” Wike added.
“The ruling, which ordered Governor Siminalayi Fubara to present the state’s budget to the legitimately recognized Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, put an end to months of political uncertainty in Rivers State.”
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, faulted the way the administration is handling of the crisis, especially the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, which he described as an attack on an independent arm of government.
“A governor demolishing the Assembly complex and pretending nothing happened is unacceptable. Then you carry a few legislators to your house and claim they are making laws? And you expect no consequences? This is wrong, and we cannot continue like this,” he said.
Furthermore, Wike condemned attempts to blackmail the judiciary, adding that petitions had been written against judges who ruled against the government’s actions.
“We have seen petitions against judges just because they ruled according to the law. But thank God, the Supreme Court has spoken. Enough is enough,” Wike declared.
The minister also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN, to withhold funds from the Rivers State government until the budget is properly presented to the Assembly, stating that public funds cannot be spent without legal appropriation.
“You cannot continue to release money when there is no legally recognized government budget. Until the budget is presented to the appropriate Assembly 27 members, not three, no money should be released,” he warned.
Speaking on the issue of local government elections, Wike criticized the state government’s refusal to follow the Electoral Act, as he questioned why INEC should be expected to recognize an election conducted outside the law.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court judgment has been widely s viewed as a major setback for the Rivers State government, reinforcing the constitutional role of the legislature and reasserting the judiciary’s independence.
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