- Federal High Court in Abuja blocks Federal Government from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.
- Court orders Central Bank of Nigeria to prevent state from accessing consolidated revenue account funds.
- Lawsuit filed by Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of Rivers State House of Assembly.
- Governor Siminalayi Fubara failed to comply with court order to present 2024 Appropriation Bill.
- High court recognized Amaewhule as authentic Speaker, invalidating rival faction’s budget proposal.
- Governor accused of unauthorized withdrawals from consolidated revenue funds.
- Court of Appeal upheld high court decision in favor of Amaewhule-led faction.
- Federal Government restrained from releasing further allocations until issue resolved.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has made a significant ruling, blocking the Federal Government from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State. This decision was made by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who specifically ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to prevent the state from accessing funds from the consolidated revenue account .
The lawsuit that led to this ruling was filed by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly. They claimed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had failed to comply with a court order to present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to their faction of the Assembly. Interestingly, the high court had previously recognized Hon. Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, invalidating the 2024 budget proposal presented to a rival faction .
The plaintiffs also alleged that Governor Fubara had made unauthorized withdrawals from the state’s consolidated revenue funds, violating Section 120 of the 1999 Constitution. The Court of Appeal had upheld the high court’s decision in their favor, but the governor continued to make withdrawals .
As a result, the court has now restrained the Federal Government from releasing further allocations to Rivers State until the issue is resolved. This development adds to the ongoing leadership dispute within the Rivers State House of Assembly.
