Ijaw youths seek review of Supreme Court judgment on Rivers LG elections

..warns against destabilisation of Rivers state

The President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, has called for the review of Supreme Court judgement on Rivers State Local government elections.

He also warned against destabilising the Rivers State Government and urged caution.

Theophilus issued the warning after assessing the recent Supreme Court judgment nullifying the 2024 local government elections, the order to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop releasing Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to the Rivers State Government, and the directive for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to re-present the 2025 budget to the Martins Amawhule-led House of Assembly.

In a statement made available to newsmen, Dr. Theophilus argued that the Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the Rivers State local government elections was provocative and laughable, as other states had also relied on the 2023 INEC voter register to conduct their local government elections.

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The IYC President alleged that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Rivers State crisis confirmed his suspicion that Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike’s recent boast about an impending “tsunami” in Rivers State indicated collusion between the apex court and the minister to destabilize the oil-producing state. He described the judgment as a “purchased verdict” designed to favor Wike.

 Theophilus, however, warned that Rivers State, as a major contributor to national revenue, should not be deprived of funds from its natural resources.

He urged the Supreme Court to review its judgment, stating that it had unsettled the youth of the Ijaw nation, who had maintained peace in the Niger Delta and supported President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He further cautioned that the NPN government’s attempt to take over opposition-controlled states in 1983 had led to a military takeover and urged President Tinubu’s administration not to create conditions that could threaten the current democratic system.

Dr. Theophilus also warned those threatening Governor Fubara with impeachment, stating, “Any forceful attempt to remove Fubara from office will be stoutly resisted by the IYC, as the youths of the Ijaw nation will have no option but to shut down all flow stations in the Niger Delta.”

He described the attacks and the Supreme Court verdict as a brazen affront to the Ijaw nation.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE