THE Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi earlier today said that the allocation for Rivers State will be released to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd) if he requests for it just as it stated that Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory had no hand in the political crisis in the state.
The minister also said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State was timely and meant to avert an implosion in the state.
Fagbemi spoke while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Responding to a question on whether the Federal Government would release the allocation from the federation account to the state in view of the latest development, the minister said if the administrator requests for it, it will be released to him.
“And to me, it will be in order for the release of that fund because the event of the extraordinary situation has brought them out of the normal situation of things.”
Justifying the President’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, he said, “We have about two years into the administration in the state.
“Now, when do you think he (President Tinubu) should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so.
“I think the President has acted timeously. He has given the opportunity to all the parties involved, to make amends. Before then, he had to assemble them, he had tried to mediate”.
Fagbemi dismissed allegations that Wike was favoured in the decision, stating, “Was Wike the one that asked the state Assembly to be demolished? I don’t see the hand of the Minister of the FCT in what happened.”
He further urged those aggrieved by the President’s decision to seek redress through the National Assembly.
“If the National Assembly feels what the President did was not okay, he will not have two-thirds of the National Assembly. We are expecting that within 48 hours something will come out,” he stated.
President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
In a national broadcast, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.
The crisis, which had paralysed governance in the oil-rich state, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of the directive, the President also appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Eighteen-Eleven Media