Port Harcourt, Nigeria – The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in the suit filed by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, seeking to overturn the ruling that prevented the Central Bank of Nigeria from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Joyce AbdulMalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 30, stated that Governor Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly violated constitutional provisions. The judge described the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January by Fubara as a clear constitutional breach.
During today’s proceedings, the three-judge special panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, reserved judgment in the case after adopting the parties’ submissions. Governor Fubara’s appeal urged the panel to overturn the lower court’s judgment and vacate the order barring state allocations.
The panel also consolidated five other appeals arising from the original high court decision. Justice Barka announced that judgment would be reserved and communicated at a later date to the parties involved.
This development comes amidst a separate report that the Federal Appeal Court in Abuja has struck down the judgment of Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court against the conduct of local council elections in Rivers State.
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