Rivers: ‘Obasanjo Unilaterally Stopped Lagos Allocation, He Didn’t Go Through Court’ –

A Lawyer representing the 27 Rivers State Lawmakers, Emmanuel Anene speaking about the stopping of allocation to Rivers State government by the Court has alleged that it was a different scenario from what played out between Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and the then governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu. He pointed out a critical difference between the two situations: he stated that Obasanjo unilaterally stopped Lagos State’s allocation without going through proper judicial channels.
He stated that in contrast, the current situation in Rivers State involves a proper court order to stop allocations. He emphasizes that the court ruling has explicitly stated that “three people cannot sit down in the comfort of their room and pass the budget of a state,” highlighting the court’s position on proper legislative procedures for budget approval. He also clarified that the court has not only ordered the stoppage of allocations but has also provided clear direction for resolution: the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill must be presented to the House of Assembly led by Honorable Martin Amaewhule, whose legitimacy has been confirmed through multiple judicial decisions.

He said in an interview with Channels TV from 16:13, ‘Now, the court has said that three people cannot sit down in the comfort of their room and pass the budget of a state. Now, it’s unlike what happened during Obasanjo’s regime when the president was not the governor of Lagos State. Obasanjo unilaterally stopped Lagos State’s allocation; he didn’t go through the court. And so, that decision was upturned by the Supreme Court.
In this case, it is only the court that has the right to stop such allocation to the state, and the court has done that. And the court did not just stop it; the court said to represent the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to the appropriate authority. And what is the appropriate authority? The appropriate authority means the House of Assembly, led by Honorable Martin Amaewhule, that was recognized by Justice Omotosho and recognized by Justice Peter Lifu. And it was also recognized by the decision of the Court of Appeal.”