Rivers appeals court ruling stopping its federal allocations as FG enforced ban

The Rivers State Government on Friday appealed the court judgment that forbade the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from remitting monthly allocations to the state.

Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, through his counsel, Yusuf Ali, SAN, prayed a three-member panel of the to vacate the  order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court on Oct. 30.

The appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1303/2024, seeks to void the order against the state and came on a day the Justice Barka-led panel consolidated five other appeals that arose from the said High Court judgment.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had barred the CBN from further allowing the Rivers government access to the consolidated revenue account, a suit by the  Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers  House of Assembly.

Defendants  in the matter, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24, are the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).

Others are  Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers; Rivers Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC; Chief Judge of Rivers, Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi; Chairman of RSIEC, retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli and the Government of Rivers.

However, the appellants have urged the appeal court to allow their appeal while
the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the state Assembly, through their team of lawyers led by Mr. J. B. Daudu, SAN, wants the court to dismiss the appeals.

The panel reserved its judgment after all the parties adopted their briefs of argument. It said it would communicate date for ruling to both parties on a later date.

Meanwhile the Federal Government has stopped the October monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue payment to Rivers State.

Bawa Mokwa, the Spokesperson of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation,  explained the decision was  made in obedience to the court order.

“What I got is that the October 2024 FAAC has not been distributed yet. However, the Federal Government will obey the court order on the matter of Rivers State allocation,” he said.

“We are going to follow due diligence as long as there is no contrary order. In case there is a contrary, the status will remain.”