INC President Okaba Slams Court Ruling Halting Rivers’ Federal Allocations As “Unconstitutional”
Professor Benjamin Okaba, President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), has denounced a recent Abuja Federal High Court ruling that instructs the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt federal allocations to Rivers State, calling it an “unconstitutional” act stemming from “judicial rascality” and an affront to federalism. Okaba expressed these concerns during the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Ijaw Women Connect (IWC) in Warri, Delta State.
He urged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to handle the crisis in Rivers State cautiously, warning that unchecked “injustice, oppression, and abuse of power” against the state’s governor could have serious repercussions.
In his words, “Mr. Chairman of this occasion, permit me again to use this auspicious occasion to advise the Tinubu-led federal Government to be very cautious in managing the crisis in Rivers State. We feel obliged to warn again and again that if the injustice, oppression and abuse of power perpetrated against the Governor of Rivers State continues unchecked, the consequences might be very grievous.”
Okaba criticized the court’s judgment as “a product of judicial rascality” and “a flagrant abuse of basic principles of federalism.” He added, “When you attempt to deny a state—particularly Rivers State with its vast significance—its due resources, it only escalates tensions.” Okaba referenced the late Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha’s assertion that depriving people of their rightful resources ultimately leads to desperate measures.
Condemning the ruling as both “provocative” and “madness,” Okaba expressed hope that the ruling would not withstand legal scrutiny, noting that the Nigerian Supreme Court, two decades prior, refused to halt federal allocations to Lagos State under similar circumstances.
Okaba further encouraged Ijaw Women Connect to align with the INC in urging the federal government to address issues plaguing the Ijaw people, including economic hardship, environmental degradation, and political marginalization, while calling for ongoing support for Governor Siminilayi Fubara and the broader Ijaw community.
