ABUJA – The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order preventing the Federal Government from disbursing monthly allocations to Rivers State. In a judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the court specifically instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to block Rivers State from accessing funds in the consolidated revenue account.
The ruling stemmed from a suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24) filed by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, which named multiple defendants, including the CBN, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and the Accountant-General of the Federation. Other defendants include Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the state’s Accountant-General, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi, and RSIEC Chair Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retired).
The plaintiffs requested the court to withhold Rivers State’s federal allocations, citing Governor Fubara’s non-compliance with a court order mandating him to resubmit the 2024 Appropriation Bill to their faction of the House. They argued that a previous ruling by Justice James Omotosho had recognized Hon. Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker and invalidated a budget proposal submitted by a rival faction led by Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo. The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld this decision.
The Amaewhule-led faction further accused Governor Fubara of unauthorized withdrawals from Rivers State’s consolidated revenue funds, a move they argue violates Section 120 of the 1999 Constitution.