The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi has urged well-meaning Nigerians to demand the reversal of a Federal High Court judgment seizing Rivers State Government’s statutory allocations.
The court ruling, delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik earlier in the week, deemed Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly unconstitutional.
Justice Abdulmalik criticized Fubara’s ongoing receipt and use of monthly federal allocations since January, labelling it a constitutional violation.
Reacting via his official X handle, Obi expressed concern that the judgment may increase the daily struggles of Rivers State citizens, potentially leading to untimely deaths.
Obi said leaders must prioritize the well-being of the less privileged and vulnerable.
His words, “In my political trajectory, I have consistently refrained from name-calling or engaging in personal disputes, choosing instead to focus on issues that directly impact the masses, particularly the suffering poor of Nigeria.
“Despite the national attention the Rivers state crisis has gained, I have largely stayed away from matters specific to a state, but a recent court judgment halting allocations to the state—and the resulting consequences—demands attention.
“This curious decision now calls upon every well-meaning individual Nigerian to appeal for its immediate reversal.
“Consider the pensioner struggling to survive on a meagre income alongside the health workers, school teachers, civil servants, and everyday citizens whose lives are already marked by severe hardship.
“How much more can they endure? This latest development risks pushing them even further into distress—even into untimely deaths—by compounding the challenges they face each day.
“As leaders—whether in the Executive, Legislative, or Judicial our decisions and actions should be guided by a commitment to the well-being of the less privileged and vulnerable among us.
“As we work toward a better future for all, we must genuinely care about the poor and prioritize the well-being of every Nigerian. What we do today should lay the foundation for a new Nigeria that is possible.”