Breaking News! : Court Stops Federal Allocations to Rivers State
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a significant ruling prohibiting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing any further financial allocations to the Rivers State Government. This order will remain effective until a legally valid appropriation act is passed by a fully constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, followed a suit filed by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule. The case arose after Governor Siminalayi Fubara presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the state Assembly with only four members in attendance. Justice Abdulmalik deemed this gathering insufficient to meet the legal quorum for valid appropriation procedures, thus marking the session as unconstitutional.
According to Justice Abdulmalik, the actions taken by the governor and the Assembly with a four-member quorum violated constitutional requirements, effectively rendering the process null and void. This decision underscores the need for a fully attended and legitimate legislative process before financial allocations can proceed.
With federal allocations now frozen, this ruling presents a substantial challenge for Rivers State, potentially impacting its financial operations until the Assembly can reconvene with a sufficient quorum to pass the appropriation bill.
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