The presence of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), and Emmanuel Agim, a judge of the supreme court, at the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has stirred controversy.
On Saturday, UNICAL held its 50th anniversary and 37th convocation ceremony.
Pictures from the event that appeared on social media show Wike sitting in the front row alongside Agim and Ekaette Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The pictures have generated reactions from social media users considering that Agim was the judge who read the supreme court judgment pertaining to the Rivers political crisis.
On February 28, the supreme court affirmed the judgment of a federal high court that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers state.
The apex court had ordered the CBN to withhold Rivers’ financial allocations until Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, presented the state appropriation bill to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly.
The supreme court also nullified the local government election held in Rivers state on October 5, 2024.
The judgment of the supreme court had given advantage to the Amaewhule-led faction, which is loyal to Wike.
The political crisis in Rivers had snowballed into a declaration of state of emergency in the state by President Bola Tinubu and suspension of the Fubara and the state assembly for six months.
During the convocation ceremony, the university’s authorities honoured Wike with an honorary doctorate degree in law.(The Cable)
