Wike vs Fubara: Rivers APC Rejects Lawsuit Blocking LG Allocations, “It’s a ’Civilian Coup”

• The move to stop seeking to stop funds from being allocated to the local government councils in Rivers state has worsened the political crisis
• The Rivers state chapter of the APC, led by Emeka Beke, condemned Tony Okocha's lawsuit, citing the Supreme Court judgement on LG autonomy
• The party’s spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, confirmed the development in a statement made available to the press

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by the reinstated chairman, Emeka Beke, has condemned the lawsuit instituted by a chieftain of the party, Tony Okocha, seeking to stop funds allocation to the local government councils.

At a press briefing, the party’s spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, reiterated that Tony Okocha and his caretaker committee had been sacked but have continued to parade themselves against a subsisting court judgement.

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In the scathing statement, Nwauju further accused Okocha of not meaning well for the state and of frustrating the councils because his camp no longer has access to LG funds, Channels TV reported.

Nwauju spoke after Okocha admitted to going to court to stop funds allocation to the councils over what he described as a faulty process.

Part of the statement read:

"Attempting to arrest electoral processes that are ongoing or almost concluded is tantamount to coup on our democratic norms. Recall that in 2004 when President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered that funds belonging to Lagos state be confiscated on the grounds that new local government areas were created, the state government stood it’s ground and won the case. Again in 2005, the National Assembly made a law for monitoring local government funds in the country by appointing monitoring committees. States went to court, and the Supreme Court said the Federal Government has no power to monitor funds meant for local governments because they are democratically elected.

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"The Supreme Court of Nigeria has also reinforced the powers and independence of local governments under our laws to receive funding unhindered based on Section 162(7) of the Constitution."

Legit.ng understands that Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are at loggerheads over the control of Rivers state. This has further fuelled the political crisis in the state.

Read more about Rivers crisis here:

• Wike vs Fubara: Militant group threatens to bomb oil installations, details emerge
• Rivers crisis: APC breaks silence on Wike, 27 lawmakers’ defection, “I tried to woo them”
• Conflicting rulings: Fubara invokes “God’s judgement” on compromised judges

Court moves to stop Fubara from spending Rivers' funds

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the crisis rocking the Rivers state assembly took a new dimension as Fubara suffered a major setback in court.

This is as the court on Friday, dismissed Rivers state government's attempt to halt a lawsuit against Fubara, deeming the request frivolous and unwarranted.

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The suit, filed by a faction of the Rivers House of Assembly loyal to FCT minister Nyesom Wike, seeks to shut down Fubara's expenditures.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng