Rivers’ crisis: HURIWA petitions foreign govts over threat to democracy

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the United States, United Kingdom and European Union to impose visa bans on judges accused of undermining democracy in Rivers State.

At a press briefing on Monday, the national coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the letters to foreign governments were intended to combat “judicial emasculation of constitutional democracy” in Rivers State, which could threaten the stability of Nigeria, the country’s largest crude oil-producing area.

He disclosed that formal petitions have been submitted to the embassies of the US, UK and EU, calling attention to judicial rulings that appear to favour influential political figures.

He specifically named judges, including Chief Judge John Tsoho, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, and Justice Peter Lifu, whom HURIWA accused of delivering verdicts that align with political interests at the expense of justice in Rivers State.

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Onwubiko highlighted a particularly contentious ruling by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which halted federal revenue allocations to Rivers State.

According to HURIWA, the decision was based on a controversial claim that Governor Siminalayi Fubara presented the 2024 state budget to just four members of the legislature instead of the full assembly.

As part of its strategy to draw attention to the threat to democracy in the state, Onwubiko said the organisation would hold a high-profile international event in Brisbane, Australia, by the end of the year with the title, “Judicial Emasculation of Constitutional Democracy in Rivers State, Nigeria,” to highlight the judicial controversies impacting the state.