- Appeal Court Voids Judgment Stopping CBN From Releasing Rivers Allocations
- Says Federal Court Has No Authority To Entertain Dispute About States’ Revenue
- PDP Chieftain, Woke Slams Fubara For Criticising Wike’s Projects
Relief has come the way of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara over the judgment restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing financial allocations to the Rivers State government.
This follows the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja to set aside the judgment.
Trouble started in December 2023 when Fubara presented an N800 billion budget estimate to the Edison Ehie faction of the House of Assembly.
The presentation of the budget titled ‘Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation, and Continuity’ took place at the government house and had only five lawmakers loyal to Fubara present during the budget presentation.
The lawmakers in Martins Amaewhule’s faction rejected the budget presentation and instituted a suit against Fubara.
In October, a federal high court in Abuja restrained the CBN from further disbursing financial allocations to the state government.
Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, held that monies from the federation account should not be released to the state pending the passage of a lawful appropriation act by a validly constituted house of assembly.
The judge ruled that Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers governor, was wrong to have presented the state’s 2024 appropriation bill to a five-member assembly “that was not properly constituted”.
Delivering judgement in the appeal, the three-member panel, on Friday, ruled that the subject matter of the state’s appropriation bill is not within the jurisdiction of the federal high court.
The Hamman Barka-led appellate court held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter and issue an order contained in the judgement.
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The court upheld the argument of Chris Uche, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel to the Rivers State government, that the federal court has no authority to entertain dispute about states’ revenue.
The appeal court said the listing of federal agencies in the suit does not confer the jurisdiction on the federal high court.
The judge said, “The trial court lacked the subject matter jurisdiction to entertain the suit. The suit is struck out and all orders made therein are set aside for want of jurisdiction”.
The Matrix reports that Rivers House of Assembly has been polarised following the rift between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In further exacerbation of the lingering feud, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers, Chukwuemeka Woke, has slammed Fubara over his recent comment about projects in the state.
The Governor had recently, at the launch of projects in Ahoada and Etche, mocked some projects constructed by his predecessors, however, the comments riled up the PDP chieftain.
Woke, who is also the Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, slammed Governor Fubara for tagging a road constructed in Omuma Local Government Area, as a “Farm Road that leads to nowhere.”
In a statement he signed and made available to reporters on Friday, Woke said the Governor’s remarks were troubling.
READ ALSO: Jonathan Crowns Fubara As Rivers’ Political ‘General’
“How can you belittle essential infrastructure that connects farmers to markets, while simultaneously promising new contracts for road projects to aid transportation? This is hypocrisy draped in ignorance,” he said.
He added that politics is all about meeting the needs of people despite their loyalties or allegiances.
However, Woke said, “To ridicule Wike’s work, especially when it provides substantial benefits to the community, is not just factually incorrect but disingenuous.
“If anything, it shows a failure to acknowledge the foundations laid before you.
“To even give a thought of not executing any project in Wike’s community, if he were a bad person, speaks volumes of the governor’s insidious nature that should be worrisome to the public, particularly those who barely know him.
“We were all deceived by his pretentious disposition while he served as the Accountant General of the state, having been promoted above his contemporaries by Wike.”
He added, “It’s clear that maturity in leadership requires more than a title.”
