FAAC: Fubara Appeals Court Order Stopping Rivers Allocations

 

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has appealed a recent order stopping the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing monthly allocations to Rivers State.

 

Appealing the ruling, he asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to overturn a Federal High Court ruling.

 

Represented by his legal team led by Yusuf Ali, SAN, the governor requested a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, headed by Justice Hamma Barka, to annul the High Court order, which he argued was issued in bad faith.

 

He appealed for the court to grant his case marked CA/ABJ/CV/1303/2024 and to nullify the unfavorable orders made by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in her judgment delivered on October 30.

 

The plea coincided with the Justice Barka-led panel consolidating five additional appeals stemming from the same High Court ruling.

 

In addition to Fubara, other appellants in the suit are Rivers State Government, the Accountant-General of Rivers State, and Zenith Bank Plc.

 

Recall that that on October 30, 2024, Justice Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court barred CBN and the Nigerian government from disbursing monthly allocations to the Rivers State government.

 

The development followed an originating summons filed by a faction of the Rivers State Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule.

 

The Amaewhule-led Assembly had argued that the Rivers State executive, under the leadership of Simi Fubara, was yet to comply with the order of a Federal High Court directing it to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the lawmakers.

 

The Federal Government confirmed on Friday that it has stopped the October monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, revenue payment to Rivers State amid the ongoing face-off between Governor Simi Fubara and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.