The Supreme Court has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation to immediately halt further financial allocations to the Rivers State Government.
The court ruled that this order will remain in effect until Governor Siminalayi Fubara ceases all illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional activities. Specifically, the Supreme Court stated that no funds should be released to the state government until a legitimate Appropriation Law is enacted under the leadership of Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim emphasized that the order applied to the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, directing them to immediately resume their duties. The unanimous decision of the five-judge panel, led by Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji, declared that all actions taken by Governor Fubara were unlawful.
The Court strongly criticized Governor Fubara for unlawfully demolishing the House of Assembly building to prevent the 27 legislators from carrying out their constitutional duties. Justice Agim ordered the reinstatement of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the House, who had been unlawfully redeployed, and directed that all House workers should resume their functions.
The court also condemned Governor Fubara’s decision to operate with only 4 out of the 32 House of Assembly members, based on unfounded fears of impeachment. The Justices described this as an unconstitutional act that led to the collapse of the House, with Fubara using his immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to bypass the rule of law.
The Supreme Court upheld previous judgments by the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, both of which had declared Fubara’s actions illegal and unconstitutional. Additionally, a fine of N10 million was imposed on Governor Fubara, to be paid to the House of Assembly and the 27 members who filed the suit.
The Federal High Court had earlier ruled that Governor Fubara’s receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January of the previous year was unconstitutional. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered that judgment, had also found Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget before a four-member House of Assembly to be a direct violation of the Constitution, stressing that it was an affront to constitutional provisions.
As a result, the court had ordered the CBN, Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank to block any further access by Fubara to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
