Supreme Court Returns Pro-Wike Lawmakers, Stops Fubara’s Rivers State Monthly Allocations

Supreme Court has stopped Rivers State monthly allocations.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the Supreme Court has reinstated the judgment that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State, south-south Nigeria.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, February 28, 2025, the apex court further ordered the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly and other elected members of the House to forthwith resume sitting, unhindered.

The Supreme Court faulted the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja for vacating the initial order that stopped the release of funds to Rivers State from the consolidated revenue following the failure of Governor Siminalaye Fubara’s refusal to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill of the state before the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

According to the Supreme Court, contrary to the verdict of the appellate court, the Federal High Court in Abuja had the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the suit the Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers filed to challenge the continued withdrawal and expenditure of funds belonging to the state without the approval of the State Assembly.

Newsone reports that the five-member panel of the apex court in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, held that the appellate court misapprehended the core issue in dispute when it pegged it on the consolidated revenue of Rivers State alone.

“This wrong view influenced it to hold that the subject matter was not within the power of the Federal High Court,” the Supreme Court noted, stressing that what was at the center of the case was the refusal of Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State to obey a subsisting court order mandating him to present the Appropriation Bill to the valid Assembly.

The Supreme Court agreed with the high court that the 27 lawmakers who allegedly defected from Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), are still valid members of the Rivers Assembly, pending the final determination of their status.