Rivers, Kano crises: SDP National Chairman cautions Tinubu, Judiciary against anarchy 

The National of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Judiciary to be extremely careful not to ignite any form of anarchy in the country, saying that “all is not well” 

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja at the weekend on the state of the nation, Gabam, who said that President Tinubu should allow the opposition to prevail in his interest, expressed deep concern over conflicting orders coming from the nation’s Judiciary in recent times, citing crises in Rivers and Kano states as an open invitation for anarchy if not checked now.

He added that President Tinubu also needed to put his economic team on their toes to come up with workable solutions to the economic crisis ravaging the land and not how to acquire new aircraft for the Presidential fleets.

According to him, “all is not well in the country, as the opposition, we will continue to speak out, the President should allow the opposition to prevail in own interest 

“There is no budget or supplementary budget that was deliberately designed and sent to the national assembly for skill acquisition programmes. People are talking about buying new aircraft. People are changing national anthems within 48 hours. Is that our priority as a nation? The president was trying to defend it. It is indefensible. I don’t think they have economic experts that have the capacity to initiate ideas, economic policies and programmes, creativity, and skills acquisitions that would reduce redundancy and take people off the streets.

“Now you are having a series of crises. Look at what is happening in Kano state. Whatever happens in Nigeria today, you cannot divorce the judiciary from it. If the judiciary is not careful, it will plunge this country into an abyss. There is no justification for judges to make pronouncements that would ignite a crisis in the country. They are the third arm of government. Very sensitive arm of government. Why would the CJN and the NJC sit down and allow judges to be passing out orders or judgments that are contrary to the Supreme Court judgment? Is there no discipline? You go through elections, the judiciary would take it from you and give it to someone that did not win. 

“You will see issues, powers that are domesticated in the states, the judiciary will try to take it from out of the states and compound problem for the country with the fragility of the nation. It is more than sufficient for the judiciary to reflect and make sure they contribute to the stability of Nigeria.

“These are very serious issues that are giving us sleepless nights. No decent mind that understands what is going on would sleep peacefully. Because it is a man-made crisis we are going through. I have listened to the Commissioner of Police of Rivers State trying to defy the governor. I have listened to the Commissioner of Police of Kano State too trying to defy the governor. If you defy the governors who are chief security officers of their states, what are you inviting, is it not anarchy?

“The governors are like presidents in their own states. They have state assemblies, the way we have the National Assembly. State assemblies have the power to enact and repeal laws. You cannot take it away from them. If you take it away from them, then you should scrap state assemblies. The NASS should adjudicate to all the states of the federation. I don’t know why we have the mindset of being domineering.

“They should be extremely careful. I am advising this president and the judicial arm of government to be extremely careful. History is recording every step they are taking. Nigerians are also recording. Nigerians are watching. You cannot plunge Nigeria into anarchy.

“There are certain judges who are not fit to be on that seat. Simply because they have interest, they would plunge the country into crisis. That should not be allowed to happen. It is in the overall interest of the president to allow sanity to prevail. It is in his own interest to allow opposition to prevail. We are not going to bring him down. He should not see the opposition as a threat to his government, we are stakeholders, Nigeria belongs to all of as citizens.”

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