Asari Dokubo Questions Supreme Court Verdict on Rivers Crisis

Former Niger Delta agitator and traditional ruler, Asari Dokubo, has spoken out against the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, arguing that the court exceeded its constitutional authority....CONTINUE READING>>>

During an appearance on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Monday, Dokubo criticized the Supreme Court’s involvement in matters he believes should have been resolved at lower courts. He questioned the court’s decision to annul the local government election held in October 2024 and halt federal allocations to Rivers State until its budget is properly presented and approved by the state assembly.

Dokubo accused a single individual of trying to “pocket Rivers State” and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene. He referenced his earlier live broadcasts from December 2023, which have resurfaced amid the current controversy, claiming they highlighted bias in favor of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Rejecting the Supreme Court’s ruling as illegitimate, Dokubo stated, “I’m not going to call the pronouncement of the Supreme Court a judgment because there is nothing that the pronouncement of the Supreme Court said that had anything to do with the law in Nigeria. It’s a total abuse of the law of Nigeria.”

He further argued that the Supreme Court overstepped its jurisdiction by ruling on local government election disputes. “For instance, does the Supreme Court really have jurisdiction to adjudicate on issues concerning local government elections? It’s very clear. Local government election adjudication ends at the court of first instance, which is a high court. So, where did the Supreme Court derive its power in making pronouncements on elections, post-election litigations arising from the elections in Rivers State?”

Dokubo also accused the court of ruling on issues that were not originally before it, particularly concerning political defections. “The issue of defection was not before the Supreme Court. The issue of defection is still at the high court. So, how did the Supreme Court get those matters into the Supreme Court to make pronouncements on them? Other than that, there were people behind the scenes dictating to the Supreme Court what to say.”

Concluding his remarks, he suggested that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara was too quick to accept the verdict. “So, they have said it. And I think the governor was in a haste to have accepted the judgment.”

Dokubo’s comments have fueled further debate over the Supreme Court’s role in the Rivers crisis and broader concerns about judicial independence in Nigeria.