Admin I Friday, February 28, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria – The River State Governor, Mr. Seminalaye Fubara has been pushed into a very tight corner following the judgment of the Supreme Court which directed that he has no choice but to deal with the 27 lawmakers in the River State House of Assembly.
The court also imposed a fine of N10 million on Fubara to be paid to the 27 members who instituted the suit against him.
Recall that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik who was serving as a Federal High Court judgment had in 2024 issued an order that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront on the Constitution.
She also restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
Justice Joyce who now serves as Supreme Court judge, ordered the CBN and the AGF to stop further release of financial allocations to the Rivers State State Government with immediate effect and that the order shall be in force until Fubara stops all his illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional activities.
Specifically, the Court said that no money shall be released to the state government until a lawful Appropriation Law is enacted under the Martin Amaewhule Speakership.
Earlier, Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim of the Supreme Court also ordered the 27- members of Rivers House of Assembly to resume function immediately.
The unanimous judgment of the five-man panel of Justices led by Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji dismantled all actions carried out by Fubara for being unlawful.
The court descended heavily on the governor for engaging in criminal activity of demolishing the House of Assembly with impunity just to prevent 27 legislators in the house from sitting to carry out lawful activities.
Justice Agim ordered that the Clerk and Deputy Clerk who were unlawfully redeployed out of the House must be allowed to resume work alongside other workers, stressing that it is an aberration for Fubara to operate with only four out of the 32 assembly members under the guise of baseless fears that he would be impeached.
By his unlawful act, Fubara collapsed the assembly and used his immunity under section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to carry out barbaric acts against the rule of law.
