Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria from further releasing monthly financial allocations to Rivers State Government.
Justice Abdulmalik on Wednesday, held that the receipt and disbursement of the allocations since January this year by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was a breach of the Constitution and an aberration that must not be allowed to continue.
He added that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the constitutional provision.
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Justice Abdulmalik noted that the Governor’s action was a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution.
The judge subsequently restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
The judgement followed a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24, which was brought before the court by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
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Cited as defendants in the matter included CBN, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).
Others are Governor Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers; Rivers Independent Electoral Commission, Chief Judge of Rivers, Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi; Chairman of RSIEC, Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.) and the Government of Rivers State.
According to the plaintiffs, the high court had in a judgement that was delivered by Justice James Omotosho, recognised Hon. Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
They alleged that Governor Fubara had continued to make unauthorized withdrawals from the consolidated revenues funds of Rivers state, in breach of section 120 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
