President Bola Tinubu
LIBOROUS Oshoma, a respected lawyer and human rights advocate, has expressed that the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers State can only be resolved through the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News on Monday, Oshoma pointed to the necessity of direct mediation involving Tinubu, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The box still rests on the table of Mr. President no matter how we look at it – the only person that can call them together, Mr. President, Wike, Fubara, just three of them, no supporters, allow both parties to ventilate, after which, Mr. President can wade in to save the peace and quiet of Rivers State,” Oshoma stated.
At the heart of the crisis is a contentious Federal High Court ruling mandating the Central Bank of Nigeria to withhold Rivers State’s monthly allocations until its government presents a budget to a constitutionally constituted House of Assembly. Governor Fubara has challenged the ruling, appealing for its reversal. Oshoma, however, criticized this judicial intervention, describing it as an overreach.
“All of this is happening because we operate a feeding bottle system of government where every month governors will all march to Abuja to collect feeding bottle, that is why a court can order or restrain a government to stop allocation to a state,” he explained. According to Oshoma, legislative processes within the state should address such budgetary disputes, not the judiciary.
The crisis has exposed fissures in Rivers State’s governance, especially regarding the state assembly’s role in passing the budget. Oshoma lambasted the involvement of only four members of the state house in approving the appropriation act, deeming it an illegitimate move. “Presentation of budget to four members of the state house of assembly, for me, is an aberration,” he remarked.
Governor Fubara’s continued expenditure without a properly approved budget could constitute grounds for impeachment, Oshoma warned. “If at the end of the day, the court says ‘presentation to four members is an aberration and consistently, instead of representing the budget, you have consistently, after six months, spent money, that is an impeachable offense,’” he stated.
According to the information obtained by AriseTV, Oshoma also highlighted the power dynamics between Wike and Fubara, suggesting that Wike’s influence as a federal minister has emboldened him amid this standoff. “This particular crisis is not a crisis that will go away soon. Like I said, if the minister, Wike, was not a minister, I can tell you that he may not be this emboldened in doing what he is doing,” he observed.
The broader conflict, Oshoma posited, revolves around financial and political interests. “Whether the elders like it or not, most of them have taken sides, because it’s all about funds, it’s all about money,” he concluded, urging President Tinubu to step in as the arbiter capable of restoring peace in the state.