Federal High Court Abuja, Revoke Rivers State 2024 Budget
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, has revoked the Rivers State 2024 budget, passed by four members of the State House of Assembly.
The bill was passed by four members of the house, who are loyal to Governor Fubara, during his conflict with former Governor Nyesom Wike.
Justice James Omotosho in his ruling, ordered the Governor to represent the budget bill to the legally constituted House of Assembly, under the leadership of Honorable Martins Amaewhule.
The court also directed the Governor to release the statutory allocation of the House of Assembly, faulting him for withholding the fund.
Justice Omotosho also voided the deployment of clerk and deputy clerk of the assembly by the Governor and banned the national assembly from accepting any request for the takeover of the House of Assembly.
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The House of Representatives Speaker, House Deputy Speaker, House Majority Leader, House Minority Leader, and Clerk to the National Assembly are the sixth to the 10th defendants.
Other defendants are the Governor of Rivers State, Attorney-General of Rivers, Commissioner of Finance, Accountant-General of Rivers, Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Inspector-General of Police, and Edison Ehie the 11th to the 17th defendants.
The plaintiffs, among others, sought an order of injunction restraining the first to the 10th defendants from entertaining any request from Fubara to take over the performance of the functions of Rivers State Assembly, including its role to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Rivers in respect of matters that are within its constitutional and legislative competence.
Also, Ehie instituted contempt proceedings in Suit No. PHC/3638/CS/2023, at a State High Court in Port Harcourt against the pro-Wike lawmakers, challenging their sittings and legislative activities after their seats were declared vacant.
Consequently, President Bola Tinubu brokered peace between Wike and Fubara.
One of the resolutions in the peace deal was for all parties to withdraw all pending matters in court.
The factional speaker loyal to the governor, Ehie, resigned his position in the House of Assembly and later withdrew his suit against the 25 lawmakers loyal to Wike.
