Appeal Court Overturns Order Blocking Release of Funds to Rivers State

The Appeal Court has nullified an earlier ruling that restrained the release of funds to Rivers State, paving the way for financial disbursement to the state government.

The Abuja Court of Appeal has annulled all orders that prevented the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation from disbursing funds to the Rivers State Government.

The three-member panel, led by Justice Hamman Barka, determined that the issue at hand was beyond the court’s jurisdiction with regard to state revenue.

In allowing the appeal of the Rivers State government, the appellate court nullified all orders previously issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. The court stated that her orders preventing Rivers State from receiving funds from its consolidated revenue fund were unconstitutional.

The appellate court determined that the lower court exceeded its authority and lacked the jurisdiction to address the issue.

In October, Justice Abdulmalik from the Abuja Federal High Court ruled that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s handling of monthly allocations since January breached the Constitution and represented an aberration that should not persist.

The judge determined that Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly violated constitutional provisions.

Justice Abdulmalik explicitly stated that the governor’s actions amounted to a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution.

The judge later prohibited the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank from continuing to permit Fubara access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.