Nigerian lawyer Inibehe Effiong has criticized state governors, claiming they exercise more authoritarian control and engage in greater corruption than the President. According to him, no State House of Assembly in Nigeria has the independence to challenge or resist a governor’s authority.
Effiong made these remarks during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday while discussing the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Rivers State cases.
The court dismissed Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s appeal against a judgment requiring him to re-submit the state’s 2024 budget to the House faction led by Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule and reserved judgment on four other appeals.
Effiong, reacting to this judgement, said, “I think Fubara clearly knows that this is the fight of survival. He knows that there is no alternative to what is going on. And I restate my position that I don’t see a political solution to what is going on. Now, I understand the Rivers State government had made a statement to clarify that some of the points I have earlier made, that the withdrawal of the appeal and the dismissal of same had nothing to do with the question of defection. I don’t expect the governor to do anything beyond what is going on, because at the end of the day, in the final analysis, this is a fight between Wike and Fubara.”
“Why this is such an embarrassment for me as a Nigerian, why this is particularly painful to some of us that have interest in the development of this country, is that in the midst of this crisis, we are having two political gladiators when the people of Rivers State, what is basically of interest to them, is provision of infrastructure, education, health, and basic issues of governance. But we are now being distracted because some lawmakers feel that their loyalty lies with their godfather, Nyesom Wike. Why should lawmakers of Nigeria still be holding to governors?”
