A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to halt all expenditures by Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara pending the hearing of a lawsuit filed by the Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State Assembly, which is loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike.
Justice Emeka Nwite, ruling on the motion ex-parte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24, directed the plaintiffs to notify all defendants in the suit rather than granting an immediate shutdown of the governor’s expenditures.
However, Justice Nwite approved another motion ex-parte allowing the plaintiffs to serve the 5th to 10th defendants with the originating process and other applications via substituted means, specifically by publishing in the Nation Newspapers.
The judge adjourned the matter to August 7 for the hearing of the motion on notice.
The 5th to 10th defendants in the suit are Governor Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers, the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the Chief Judge of Rivers Justice S.C. Amadi, RSIEC Chairman Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.), and the Rivers State Government.
The Rivers State Assembly, represented by Speaker Martin Amaewhule and the House, filed the suit against the Central Bank of Nigeria, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and the Accountant-General of the Federation as the 1st to 4th defendants, with Fubara and other state officials as the additional defendants.
The plaintiffs sought an interlocutory injunction to prevent the banks and the AGF from processing any financial transactions or instructions from Governor Fubara involving Rivers State funds.
In a related move on July 15, the Rivers Assembly suspended all expenditures by Governor Fubara and demanded that he re-present his budget to the House within seven days.
The Assembly’s decision was driven by a motion from House Leader Major Jack, resulting in the suspension of the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account, effectively blocking any expenditure by the governor’s administration until compliance.
