House of Representatives member Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere condemned a recent Federal High Court judgment that seeks to seize the sovereign allocation of Rivers State. Ugochinyere called the ruling “an attack on our constitutional governance and an attempt to undermine the principles of federation.”
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The judgment in question relates to a dispute over the legitimacy of some former Rivers State lawmakers whose seats became vacant after they defected from the PDP to the APC. Despite the matter still being under consideration by the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court judge proceeded to deliver a verdict that would allow the Federal Government to withhold Rivers State’s allocation.
Ugochinyere accused the judge of ignoring petitions and evidence presented by the state government in a rush to “throw Rivers into a state of anarchy.” He questioned the judge’s motives, asking “What was she rushing? Why was she rushing to hear the matter in one day, reserve judgment, and then the next morning she has delivered the judgment to achieve what?”
The House member urged the Rivers State government to proceed with business as usual, presenting its 2025 budget to the State House of Assembly under the leadership of the current speaker, Rt. Hon. Okechukwu Jumbo. He argued that until the Supreme Court makes a definitive ruling on the status of the former lawmakers’ seats, the current Assembly makeup and leadership remains legitimate.
Ugochinyere warned that any attempt by the Federal Government to enforce the Federal High Court judgment and seize Rivers State’s allocation would amount to “an overthrow and an invitation to anarchy.” He noted that under the constitution, the Federal Government has no power to withhold allocations to states, which are shared automatically based on the federation account.
Drawing parallels to Nigeria’s political crises in the 1960s and 1980s, Ugochinyere cautioned President Bola Tinubu against allowing his appointees to drag him into a damaging confrontation with state governments. He urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene and halt what he characterized as the misuse of the Federal High Court to undermine state institutions.
The House member situated the controversial judgment within the context of wider tensions and uncertainty in the country, saying “The whole country is in total disarray as I speak to you now, economic hardship, uncertainties left, right and center.”
He concluded his remarks with a defiant stance, declaring that “the opposition does not accept” the judgment and vowing that the Rivers State government will proceed with its agenda under the current Assembly leadership. The state has already appealed the ruling to higher courts.
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