”Nigeria has descended into the theatre of the absurd since the Tinubu administration took office, Don’t set Rivers on fire” – Atiku warns Judiciary over court ruling halting LGA allocation

Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned the judiciary against actions that could incite unrest in Rivers State.

His warning follows a recent Federal High Court order in Abuja instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt all payments to the state. In a statement issued on his behalf by Media Adviser Paul Ibe on October 30, Atiku criticized what he described as “behind-the-scenes influences” from Federal Government loyalists.

Atiku questioned Justice Joyce Abdulmalik’s decision, noting that it came despite Rivers State’s ongoing appeal regarding the legality of its 2024 budget, currently under review by the Court of Appeal.

The statement reads, “Last week, the Court of Appeal declared that the Rivers State budget was illegal because it was passed by an inchoate assembly. The court ordered Governor Siminalayi Fubara to present the budget afresh.

“The Rivers State Government has already filed a notice of appeal so that the Supreme Court can hear the matter.

“However, some elements in the Bola Tinubu administration have procured a judgement intended to undermine the Supreme Court.

“Nigeria has descended into the theatre of the absurd since the Tinubu administration took office.

“Courts are playing a more ignoble role in fostering political crises within political parties and even in states.

“From the emirship tussle in Kano State to the Rivers imbroglio where courts are going as far as preventing elections from holding, taking Nigeria back to the dark days of June 12, 1993 where polls were annulled.

“Sadly, under the leadership of those who claim to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy, the country is descending into chaos with conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdiction flying all over the place while judges are being induced in the name of empowerment and provision of houses.

“The result is that Nigerians are gradually losing confidence in an institution which prides itself as the last hope of the common man. Foreign investors will avoid any place where judgments can be bought by the highest bidder.

“Nigeria should not descend to the Hobessian state of nature where life is short, nasty and brutish, where citizens opt for self-help. Rivers State accounts for almost 25% of Nigeria’s oil assets.

“For a country facing an economic crisis worsened by vandalism and banditry, Tinubu should put his 2027 ambition aside and put Nigeria’s interest first.

“We call on the Nigerian judiciary to restore its image before it gets too late.”