Breaking: Gov Fubara Reacts to Supreme Court Judgment

• Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has reacted to the judgment of the Supreme Court compelling the CBN to withhold the state allocation until he re-presented the 2024 budget before the Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly
• Joe Johnson, the state commissioner for information and communication, in a statement shortly after the ruling on Friday, February 28, noted that the governor will take action
• According to Johnson, the government was yet to receive the full details of the judgment but will act in the interest of the state and the people once it studies the ruling

Port Harcourt - Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has reacted to the Supreme Court judgment that dismissed the Court of Appeal verdict and upheld the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja that compelled the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant general of the federation to stop releasing the state funds until the governor re-present the 2024 appropriation bill.

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Joe Johnson, the state commissioner for information and communication, in a statement shortly after the ruling on Friday, February 28, noted that the governor will take action that will be in the best interest of the people and the state.

Rivers yet to receive Supreme Court judgment's details

He noted that the government was yet to receive the full details of the ruling but assured that Governor Fubara would carefully study the situation before deciding on the next steps, while urging the people to be calm.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court ordered that Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly and other elected lawmakers in the assembly should immediately resume sittings and without hindrance.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment of the five-member panel, held that the Court of Appeal misread the core issue in the dispute when it associated it with consolidated revenue of Rivers state alone.

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Why Supreme Court rule against Fubara

According to the apex court, such a wrong view made the Court of Appeal rule that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the suit. It maintained that the case was about the refusal of Governor Fubara to obey an existing court order which mandated him to represent the 2024 appropriation bill before the valid lawmakers.

The judge then ruled that the 27 lawmakers who allegedly dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) remained valid members of the House until the court determines their final status.

Governor Fubara's claim that he invoked the doctrine of necessity by presenting the Appropriation Bill to four lawmakers in the assembly because of the defection of the lawmakers was dismissed by the court. It stated that illegal action can't be justified with the doctrine of necessity.

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Rivers: Amaechi dedicated awards to Wike

Legit.ng earlier reported that Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers state, has dedicated an award given to him to his successor, Nyesom Wike, who is the current FCT Minister.

Amaechi said he was dedicating the award to Wike for not abandoning the College of Medical Sciences of the Rivers State University (RSU) while he was governor.

It would be recalled that Amaechi and Wike have been harsh political rivals since 2015 when the former left the PDP to become a foundational member of the APC.

Source: Legit.ng