Rep Ugochinyere, Okonkwo Hail Appeal Court Ruling On Rivers Allocation

The House of Representatives member for Ideato North/South Constituency, Imo Ugochinyere and human rights activist, Kenneth Okonkwo, have described the Appeal Court ruling on Rivers State allocation as pro-people.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker, Ugochinyere, said the dismissed Federal High Court ruling was fraught with error as Rivers citizens were pushed into pain.

In a brief statement on his X handle, Ugochinyere wrote, “Appeal court nullifies federal high court judgement seeking to seize Rivers state allocation/revenue. How can somebody be seeking for anarchy and pain to the extent of seeking to starve his own people in a bid to settle political scores over what is not his own in the first place.”

On his part, former spokesman for Obi/Datti Campaign Organization, Okonkwo, said it was unconscionable that some politicians had to seek court to stop allocation to the state.

“The Court of Appeal judgement that overturned a ruling of the FHC that blocked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing monthly statutory allocations to Rivers State is commendable.

“This judgement has put a stop to the unsavoury practice of lawyers spuriously adding a federal agency to their suit as a strategy to forum shop for a court that will give them favourable judgement. The subject matter is the major consideration in deciding the issue of jurisdiction.

“However, it’s unconscionable for some heartless politicians from Rivers State to go to the extent of asking a court to starve their people as a way to settle political matters. Shame on all of them.

“A court that gave an order to punish Rivers State people for the political disagreement among politicians can not boast of doing justice to the case. Rivers State people should be insulated from the adverse effects of the crooked politicking of heartless politicians. Courts should avoid dabbling into politics in the name of giving judgement,” he said.

Okonkwo argued that a Supreme Court ruling had stated that even the president cannot withhold the allocation of a state. He advised the judiciary to avoid being used by politicians to achieve political ends.

“There’s no remedy known to law that empowers a court to starve a people for the disagreement of politicians. The Supreme Court settled it that the President can not withhold the statutory allocation to a state.

“One wonders why the judicial arm will now jump in to order the CBN to withhold Rivers State allocation. If the President can not withhold statutory allocation to states,the judiciary should not withhold the statutory allocation to the states,” he added.