The Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi has stated that the situation unfolding in Rivers State is “an aberration, unknown to our Constitution and must be condemned by every discerning mind.” On a Tweet made on his official X account, Obi explained that what was being witnessed in the state was “a brazen disobedience and disregard for the rule of law and our democratic principles.” Obi pointed out that the decision to release statutory allocations to an appointed Sole Administrator, despite a Supreme Court order prohibiting such actions, was “not just unlawful — it is a direct challenge to the authority of the highest court of our country.”
He recalled that the Supreme Court had explicitly barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) from releasing funds until a properly constituted House of Assembly passed a valid Appropriation Act. Yet, he noted, “we see a situation where this order is being ignored,” raising “serious moral intentions, and questions of what is happening in Rivers State.” Obi warned that by disregarding the Supreme Court’s judgment, those involved were “setting a dangerous precedent,” adding that the CBN and AGF, as institutions meant to uphold the law, “should not be complicit in this disregard for our judiciary.” He stressed that “we cannot build a nation where those who swore oaths to uphold our constitution and obey the laws are doing the opposite.”
Obi emphasized that the issue was “about more than just Rivers State; it is about protecting the very fabric of our democracy, and our existence as a nation.” He argued that “a country cannot function where the rule of law is trampled upon, where the separation of powers is disregarded, and where judicial decisions are treated as mere suggestions.” He cautioned that “if we continue this way, we are undermining the future of our democracy.” Obi urged Nigerians to “choose to do the right thing — to respect the law and uphold the principles that bind us as a nation,” concluding that “a new Nigeria is POssible.”
