On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja banned the Federal Government from giving Rivers State any more monthly allotments.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was expressly prohibited by the court’s ruling, delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, from permitting the state to withdraw money from the consolidated revenue account.
The ruling came after a lawsuit filed by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) were also named as defendants in the case.
The Rivers State government, the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the Chief Judge of Rivers, Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi, the Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers, and Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.) are also involved.
In their petition, the plaintiffs asked the court to deny Rivers State any federal monthly funding.
They based their argument on the fact that Governor Fubara had not yet complied with the court decision directing him to represent the Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly in the 2024 Appropriations Bill.
The plaintiffs claim that in a ruling rendered by Justice James Omotosho, the high court acknowledged Hon. Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
They pointed out that the court declared the 2024 budget proposal that was put before the Assembly’s four-member faction, headed by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, to be invalid.
The members of the Rivers State Assembly led by Hon. Amaewhule also stated that the Court of Appeal maintained the high court ruling that favored them.
They claimed that Governor Fubara had violated section 120 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, by continuing to take illegal money out of Rivers State’s consolidated revenues funds.
The members of the Rivers State Assembly urged Governor Fubara to respect the court’s decision and cease any further unauthorized withdrawals from the state’s funds. They emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring that governance is conducted in accordance with constitutional provisions.
