The Rivers State Government on Wednesday appealed the Federal High Court, Abuja’s judgment which retrained the Central Bank of Nigeria from further releasing allocations from the federation account to the state.
Justice Joyce Abdulamalik issued the order on Wednesday in a judgment on a suit filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a 4-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Constitutional provision.
She also held that Fubara’s action in implementing an unlawful budget stood as a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect, adding that the judgment of Rivers High Court, which ruled in favour of Fubara to implement the 2024 budget, had also been set aside by the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
The judge described Fubara’s receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January as nothing short of a Constitutional aberration that must not be allowed.
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 judgment, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, told journalists that the judgment had been appealed, expressing optimism that the Appeal Court would upturn the judgment.
He said the pointers to the anticipated judgment were glaring, adding that they were unperturbed as they had already instituted an appeal against the Federal High Court judgment.
His words, “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.”
