A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, has halted further release of financial allocations to the Rivers State Government until the passage of a lawful appropriation bill by the State House of Assembly.
The latest development resulted from a suit challenging the passage of the Rivers State 2024 appropriation bill by four of the 31-member House.
In a judgement on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, granted an order for the stoppage of further allocation to the state, in a suit filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.
Justice Abdulmalik agreed with the applicant’s submission that the decision by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to present Rivers State’s 2024 Appropriation Bill to a four-member Assembly, which was not properly constituted, should not be allowed to stand.
The Court held that the presentation of the 2024 budget of Rivers State by Governor Sim Fubara before a 4-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Constitutional provision.
Specifically, the Judge said that Fubara’s action in implementing an unlawful budget smacked gross violations of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect.
The judge, therefore, restrained CBN, Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Accounts.
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