By Taiwo Olapade
The crisis rocking the oil-rich Rivers State is more than ever before becoming unacceptable and highly embarrassing.
The conflicting judicial rulings on the crisis, to say the least, are also very worrisome, as one can easily conclude that it is now a case of a “judicial market” where the highest bidder triumphs.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, during the swearing-in of 22 new Justices of the Court of Appeal yesterday in Abuja, again read the riot act against judges of concurrent courts that give conflicting rulings. For many Nigerians, the words from the CJN are more rhetoric, carry no weight, and are of no effect. The same CJN, you will recall, read a similar riot act over the Kano Emirate tussle and when the crisis in Rivers State was just barely six months old, and nothing came of it.
To show a bit of seriousness then, the CJN summoned an emergency meeting in May, but alas, your guess is as good as mine on the outcome of the meeting. Who is Justice Ariwoola afraid of?
Many Nigerians keep wondering if the judges presiding over cases arising from the crisis in Rivers and Kano rely on different laws before making pronouncements or otherwise.
At the moment, we have two functioning Houses of Assembly in Rivers State, which is an aberration to our laws. The one with Governor Fubara, led by Victor Oko Jumbo, has three members, while the other, loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, led by Martin Amaewhule, has a majority with twenty-five members. I am not in the best position to say which one is the authentic House of Assembly, but those who are “learned,” like the CJN, should tell Nigerians.
It seems that political solutions have failed in resolving the Rivers crisis, as the warring parties have abandoned the agreement signed under the watch of President Bola Tinubu.
The Peoples Democratic Party has also failed to find an amicable resolution to the needless egocentric crisis, despite the fact that the embattled governor and the trouble-shooter FCT Minister are members of the party.
The PDP has another chance today to lay this crisis to rest as it holds another NEC meeting in Abuja. Feelers from the top hierarchy of the party revealed that the unending crisis in Rivers State and the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states are top on the agenda. Nigerians are patiently waiting to see the outcome of the NEC meeting.
Just a few days ago, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, expressed his frustration and lamented over the myriad crises rocking the once vibrant opposition party in the country.
In an interview granted to PUNCH Newspapers, Kola Ologbodiyan made reference to what he described as a power tussle between the two-time former Presidential Candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and Mr. Project, Chief Nyesom Wike. The fight is over who is the current leader of the party.
The good people of Rivers State are at the receiving end of the needless, unending brouhaha between Governor Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike. A long-lasting solution rests with the judiciary. Once again, who is the CJN afraid of?
