A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an injunction preventing the Federal Government from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.
MUK TV reports that the timely blow comes on a day Governor Siminalaye Fubara’s camp is celebrating the one-year anniversary of political freedom from their formerly estranged godfather, former governor Nyesom Wike, now the FCT Minister.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the ruling on Wednesday, which specifically restrains the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from allowing the state to withdraw funds from the consolidated revenue account.
This decision follows a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24, filed by the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Hon. Martins Amaewhule.
The defendants in this case include the CBN, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), as well as Governor Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Chief Judge of Rivers Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi, Chairman of RSIEC Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.), and the Government of Rivers State.
The plaintiffs sought the court’s intervention to halt all federal monthly allocations to Rivers State, citing Governor Fubara’s failure to comply with a prior court order mandating him to submit the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Amaewhule-led faction.
They argued that a previous ruling by Justice James Omotosho recognized Hon. Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, invalidating the 2024 budget proposal presented to the opposing faction led by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo.
Furthermore, the Amaewhule-led members noted that the Court of Appeal has upheld the high court’s decision in their favor, reinforcing their claim to legitimate authority within the Assembly.
