Philip Nyam 
A coalition of opposition lawmakers has alerted Nigerians of moves by the Rivers State House of Assembly members who are supported by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to avoid receiving the 2025 budget as directed by the Supreme Court, saying their action will not stop governance.
The spokesperson for the opposition lawmakers, Ikenga Ugochinyere, made this known in a live broadcast in reaction to the development in the state.
The lawmakers also disclosed that there is a plot to destabilise the Rivers Local Government election with illegal amendment of law and court orders, saying that regardless of their plan, the election will hold as planned.
According to Ugochinyere, the Pro-Wike lawmakers plan an amendment of the LGA law to frustrate the conduct of election and to allow former local government chairmen whose tenure has gone into oblivion to come back.
The coalition assured Rivers’ people that the election would be held as set by the electoral bodies, voting that no illegal amendment would stop the conduct of the elections.
They further alleged a plot to stop the main opposition of then People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from holding a convention and thereby entering a merger to produce a presidential candidate.
While commending Governor Siminalayi Fubara for adhering to the Supreme Court Judgement despite provocation and betrayal of the peace accord by Wike, the lawmakers thanked Nigerians who have stood in defence of democracy, urging them to be courageous on all issues for the advancement of democracy.
He said, “It’s time for people to continue to stand firm. We are almost close to the end, and that’s why you see more frustrations, more ranting, because the people are arising. We are happy to see that NWC members are rising, and our governors are rising to end this madness of political children who have been spoiled without resistance.
“Let me at the junction commend one of the members of the opposition family, the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
“Despite the fact that the whole world knows that the pro-Wike lawmakers lost their seat at the time they decamped, everyone saw it, but the Supreme Court, in their judgment, said Gov Fubara should sthese lawmakers that decamped from the party they were elected.
“Not everybody will have that courage or spirit of peace like Fubara. he surprised most of us; as a democrat, he accepted that judgment wholeheartedly and started implementing it immediately.
“The interest of Nyesom Wike is not about peace or progress, it’s about control, as long as he’s not the one controlling the state so nothing should be done.
“So all these litigations about local government or assembly members are all decoys to help him achieve his agenda, which is a crisis.
“Election has been fixed for August 9th, while the indigenes are preparing for elections that the Supreme Court ordered to be reconducted, the Wike group is running around looking for injunction to stop the conduct of the election.
“Like they did before running around to amend the local government law to frustrate the election. He’s now running around again to say that those former chairmen whose tenure has expired should come back. Just look at this madness!!! He wants to control the structure of governance.
“The election will hold, but I must alert you that they are running again to court, looking for an injunction to stop a legitimate election that the Supreme Court ordered.
“They are running around in their hideout to amend the local government law in the middle of the election to get former local government chairmen who left years back to come back.
“We commend Governor Fubara for complying with the court judgment about budget presentation.
“He reached out to House of Assembly members to come for a meeting, something that Wike will not do.
“He called them to a meeting for solutions to move forward, but they boycotted the meeting and refused to come. Who are they?! The state will not burn, and we won’t allow them to destabilise that state that belongs to our party.
“The governor again wrote a letter to you for the presentation of the Rivers State 2025 budget. It was delivered to them. He called the speaker on the phone several times, but he didn’t pick.
“That’s to tell you people whose mind is dark, all they want is anarchy, they want Rivers people to suffer.
“Wike has been the aggressor from day 1. We salute the governor, Fubara, for his humility to the extent of ensuring that despite the provocation, he continues to run the wheel of governance in the last four days.”
