Supreme Court Stops CBN from Releasing Monthly Allocations to Rivers State

Supreme Court has stopped CBN from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.

Epe Insights reports that the Supreme Court has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Accountant General of the Federation to stop further release of financial allocations to the Rivers State government led by Governor Sim Fubara effective immediately.

The Supreme Court also directed that the order remain in force until the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, halts all his illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional activities.

According to the ruling, no money shall be released to the state government until a lawful Appropriation Law is enacted under the Martin Amaewhule speakership.

The Supreme Court in a judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim on Friday, February 28, 2025, ordered the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to resume functions immediately.

A five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji in a unanimous judgment, nullified all actions carried out by Governor Fubara for being unlawful.

The Supreme Court criticized the governor for engaging in the criminal act of demolishing the House of Assembly with impunity to prevent the 27 legislators from sitting and carrying out lawful activities.

Justice Agim further ordered that the Clerk and Deputy Clerk, who were unlawfully redeployed, must be allowed to resume work alongside the House of Assembly staff.

The apex court held that it was an aberration for Governor Fubara to operate with only four out of the 32 House of Assembly members under the guise of baseless fears of impeachment.

Governor Fubara, through his unlawful acts, collapsed the House of Assembly and used his immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to carry out acts against the rule of law, the justices held.

The apex court affirmed the judgments of both the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had declared the actions against the 27 House of Assembly members as unlawful and illegal.

A fine of N10 million was imposed on Fubara, to be paid to the House of Assembly and the 27 members who instituted the suit against him.

The Supreme Court ruled that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January this year by Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a constitutional aberration that must not be allowed to continue.