On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja invalidated and set aside the presentation and passage of the Rivers State 2024 budget by a group of four state legislators.
In his decision issued on Monday, Justice James Omotoso, who resolved all the grounds in dispute in favour of Nyesom Wike’s loyalists, directed the state governor, Siminalaye Fubara, to represent the budget to the constitutionally formed House of Assembly under the Speakership of Martin Amaewhule.
The verdict came in relation to the suit designated FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, filed by the Rivers House of Assembly’s Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
The verdict was issued in the case FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, which was filed by the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the National Assembly (NASS), and others.
The plaintiffs sued the NASS, Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader as the first to fifth defendants in an amended originating summons dated December 7, 2023, but filed December 11, 2023 by their team of lawyers, which included Ken Njemanze, SAN, and Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, among others.
The House of Representatives Speaker, House Deputy Speaker, House Majority Leader, House Minority Leader, and Clerk of NASS are all named as defendants in the action, ranging from sixth to tenth.
They also sued the Governor of Rivers, the Attorney-General of Rivers, the Commissioner of Finance, the Accountant-General of Rivers, the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, and Rt. Honourable Edison Ehie, who is also listed as Rivers Assembly’s Speaker in the suit, as the 11th to 17th defendants, respectively.
James Omotoso also overturned the withholding of the House of Assembly budget, claiming that the governor lacked constitutional authority to do so.
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