The Supreme Court has prohibited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other relevant agencies from disbursing funds to the Rivers State government until it complies with court orders, which the court described as being flagrantly disregarded.
In a one-hour, thirty-six-minute judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the five-member panel unanimously dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which challenged the legitimacy of the House of Assembly led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
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The court further ruled that Amaewhule must immediately reconvene the Assembly with all elected members.
The court ruled that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s decision to present an appropriation bill before a four-member House of Assembly was an anomaly, as it effectively deprived 28 constituencies of proper representation.
This, the court stated, was a blatant violation of its directive, which required the governor to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill before a duly constituted Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court condemned Fubara’s actions regarding the alleged defection of 28 Assembly members, describing them as acts of lawlessness and authoritarianism intended to obstruct the House from carrying out its constitutional duties under Amaewhule’s leadership.
The court further ruled that Governor Fubara’s demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex was an act of misconduct, reflecting an abuse of executive power aimed at obstructing the Assembly, under Martin Amaewhule’s leadership, from carrying out its legislative duties.
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