Fubara was accused of violating the 1999 Constitution after presenting 2024 budget before a four-man Rivers’ State House of Assembly
By Kehinde Okeowo
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has headed to the Appeal Court to contest court’s judgment stopping Nigeria’s apex bank from further releasing allocations from the federation account to his state.
This was disclosed by the Rivers State’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, while speaking with The PUNCH.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State Government.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik cited a violation of the 1999 Constitution regarding the presentation of the 2024 budget before a four-member Rivers State House of Assembly, adding that the disbursement of monthly allocations by Fubara since January of this year constituted a breach of the Constitution.
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She proceeded to restrain the CBN, Accountant-General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara access to money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
Reacting to the verdict, Johnson said the Rivers State Government has appealed the judgment.
He went on to express optimism that the Appeal Court would upturn the verdict.
He further noted that the pointers to the anticipated judgment were glaring, adding that they were unperturbed as they had already instituted an appeal against the Abuja court’s judgment.
The commissioner said, “We saw this judgment coming the way it did when the trial judge refused 23 council chairmen as joinders, refused the state to change their lawyer and refused our objection challenging jurisdiction of the federal high court.
“The judgment has already been appealed and l believe that the Court of Appeal will upturn the judgment. We are not panicked and there is no cause for alarm.”
The development came as Governor Fubara celebrated one of the failed attempts to impeach him by the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly loyal to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.