The smoldering political disaster in Rivers State has erupted right into a defining second for Nigeria’s judiciary, the Ijaw ethnic nation, and the worldwide group. At its core, this turmoil- pitting Governor Siminalayi Fubara towards his predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory minister – exposes a battle over energy, sources, and identification. Below President Bola Tinubu ‘s administration, extensively accused of favouring centralised management and political godfatherism, the stakes are increased than ever. The current Supreme Court docket judgment halting statutory federal income allocations to Rivers State has solely intensified the embarrassing spectacle, putting the judiciary’s credibility, the Ijaw’s resilience, and Nigeria’s democratic integrity beneath international scrutiny. For the Ijaws, resistance isn’t just a alternative – for it’s a necessity.
A judiciary on trialNigeria’s judiciary, usually hailed because the final bastion of hope for the frequent citizen, now finds itself at a crossroads. The Rivers disaster has laid naked allegations of judicial manipulation, with conflicting court docket orders and questionable jurisdictional shifts fueling mistrust. The Supreme Court docket’s February 2025 ruling, which barred month-to-month allocations to Rivers’ native governments over the state’s failure to conduct constitutionally compliant elections, has been decried as a politically motivated assault on Governor Fubara’s administration. Critics, together with human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, level to the judiciary’s cozying as much as highly effective figures like Wike -whose affect in Tinubu’s camp is undeniable- as proof of compromised independence.
This judgment echoes a historic precedent, specifically: In 2004, then-Lagos Governor Tinubu efficiently challenged President Olusegun Obasanjo’s withholding of state funds, with the Supreme Court docket ruling it unconstitutional. At the moment, and fairly sadly, President Tinubu faces accusations of hypocrisy, seemingly tolerating an identical overreach towards the management of Rivers State beneath Governor Fubara.
The judiciary’s constant failure to uphold the tenets and rules of federalism is, certainly, cementing the general public notion that justice bends to the route of the best bidder, even in Nigeria’s apex and highest court docket of justice. What a harmful and deafening precedent for a nation already grappling with huge electoral frauds and institutional decay!
The Ijaws stand: A battle for survivalFor the Ijaw individuals, who dominate Rivers State and the oil-rich Niger Delta, this disaster is existential. Fubara, an Ijaw by all definitions of nativity, represents a uncommon alternative for the Ijaws of Rivers State to say their political voice after a number of a long time of political repression and marginalisation.
The Ijaw Nationwide Congress (INC), led by Professor Benjamin Okaba, has framed Wike’s alleged management of Rivers State – seemingly backed by Tinubu, as an try to stifle this Ijaw company when he stated that “A slap on Fubara is a slap on the Ijaw nation.”
Certainly, Okaba’s warning that any transfer to unseat the governor might ignite unrest throughout the area shouldn’t be handled with levity, or dismissed as an idle discuss.
The Supreme Court docket’s choice threatens to choke Rivers’ funds, doubtlessly crippling Fubara’s skill to ship the dividends of democracy to his individuals. With oil accounting for roughly 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, the Ijaws see this as a calculated transfer to divert their wealth to federal cronies. Their historical past of militancy -once disrupting oil flows to demand fairness -looms massive. Resistance, they argue, is the one path to safeguard their rights and sources towards a godfatherism that has lengthy plagued Nigerian politics.
Tinubu’s godfather gambitPresident Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos governor cemented his status as a grasp of political godfatherism, exerting affect over successors and state coffers. Now, critics allege he’s scaling this mannequin nationwide, with Wike as the important thing enforcer in Rivers State. The disaster suggests a sample: Tinubu’s muted response to judicial overreach and his reliance on Wike – a linchpin in his 2023 electoral victory -hint at a method to dominate Rivers State funds and politics. This sorry spectre clashes with Nigeria’s federal construction, the place states ought to rightly management their destinies, and never function pawns in a presidential chess recreation.
The worldwide group, eyeing Nigeria’s oil and regional clout, watches warily. A destabilised Rivers State might spell doom. The ripple results will tear by West Africa, deterring funding and emboldening autocratic tendencies. Tinubu’s actions – or his inaction – appears to be liable to portray Nigeria as a democracy in title solely, however an animal farm in follow, the place godfathers wilfully trump and stifle governance for ostensible egocentric pursuits.
Supreme Court docket judgment: Penalties unfoldThe February 2025 Supreme Court docket ruling has unleashed speedy fallouts. Native authorities operations in Rivers State are grounded. For, just about all native governments (LGs) within the nation depend on federal fund allocations to perform successfully. Rivers LGs are not any exception. The withdrawal of federal income allocation to Rivers LGs is sparking protests and fears of financial collapse in Rivers State. Fubara’s administration has appealed, however the injury is palpable. They embody arson assaults on council secretariats post-October 2024 elections, signalling rising tensions, whereas the state’s 27 defected lawmakers – loyal to Wike – are pushing to question the governor, emboldened by the monetary stranglehold, no due to the extensively criticised Supreme Court docket judgment.
Nationally, the judgment deepens mistrust within the judiciary. If courts may be weaponised to starve states into submission, what hope stays for the honest decision of disputes? Globally, it raises crimson flags about Nigeria’s stability, with oil markets jittery, and diplomats urging restraint. For the Ijaws, it’s a name to guard their stake in a federation that always overlooks them.
Why the Ijaws should resistThe Ijaws’ resistance of the goings-on buttresses their stand towards a system that thrives on subjugation. Godfatherism, as epitomised by Tinubu and Wike, siphons energy from the individuals, leaving communities just like the Ijaws to bear the price of elite enrichment. By defending Fubara, they problem a judiciary tethering on the sting of irrelevance, and a presidency that prioritises loyalty over legislation. Their battle is Nigeria’s battle: a requirement for a democracy the place votes, not patrons, dictate future.
Failure to withstand dangers a bleak future- like financial strangulation, political irrelevance, and maybe, a return to militancy. Success might redefine Nigeria, forcing Tinubu to rethink his method, and the judiciary to reclaim its soul. The world is watching! Nevertheless it’s the Ijaws who should act. Rivers State as a complete is greater than only a disaster. It’s a clarion name. Will Nigeria pay attention?• Dappa is the Writer/Editor-in-Chief, Nigeria At the moment Newspapers, Lagos.
