The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State government. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment on Wednesday, saying that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a small group of 4 people in the Rivers House of Assembly was not allowed by the law.
The court said that Fubara’s actions since January 2024 were like doing a flip in the law, which is not right, and needed to be stopped. Judge Abdulmalik believed that the governor’s use of this wrong budget breaks the 1999 Constitution.
Consequently, the court told the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank not to let Governor Fubara use money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
This development comes as Rivers State is facing a big problem, with people questioning if Fubara’s leadership is really allowed by the law.