The Workplace of the Accountant-Common of the Federation says it should adhere to courtroom orders relating to the disbursement of federal allocations to Rivers State, following latest authorized controversies surrounding the state’s monetary entitlements.
Chatting with The PUNCH on Friday, the Director of Press and Public Relations on the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, mentioned, “We’re going to obey courtroom order.
“Since there’s a discover of enchantment, the discover of enchantment has overridden the sooner courtroom judgment. To this point, it’s a courtroom order that we’ll obey; if there’s a discover of enchantment, Rivers might be paid.”
The peace of mind comes amid a Federal Excessive Court docket ruling on October 30, 2024, which directed the Central Financial institution of Nigeria to withhold additional month-to-month allocations to Rivers State.
The courtroom dominated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 funds to a four-member Home of Meeting was unconstitutional.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the judgment, acknowledged that since January 2024, allocations obtained and spent by the state have been primarily based on an illegitimate funds, describing it as a “constitutional aberration.”
The ruling raised questions over the legitimacy of the State Home of Meeting’s composition and its authority to approve budgets.
The decide contended that the governor’s actions ignored constitutional necessities for funds approval by a totally constituted Home of Meeting.
Delivering judgment in go well with FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2024, Justice Abdulmalik declared that selections made by the four-member Fubara-backed Meeting have been void, referencing prior rulings by the Federal Excessive Court docket and the Court docket of Attraction that had annulled its authority.
The ruling additionally held that Fubara’s actions violated Sections 91 and 96 of the 1999 Structure, and warned that any continued bypassing of legislative processes constituted an affront to the rule of legislation.
The courtroom’s resolution adopted a go well with filed by the State Home of Meeting faction led by Martin Amaewhule, difficult the legitimacy of the four-member faction loyal to Fubara.
The Amaewhule-led Meeting had earlier declared in July that each one state expenditures can be halted till the governor resubmitted his funds to the official legislative physique.
Justice Abdulmalik denied a request to remain the proceedings, dismissing the appliance as “frivolous and vexatious.” She additionally refused to recuse herself from the case, rejecting the defence’s allegations of bias.
Nonetheless, the Rivers State Authorities swiftly filed a discover of enchantment in opposition to the ruling.
This got here because the governor celebrated one of many failed makes an attempt to question him by the Amaewhule-led state Meeting faction loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The state Commissioner for Data and Communications, Joseph Johnson, earlier informed The PUNCH that the judgment had been appealed, expressing optimism that the Attraction Court docket would upturn the judgment.
He mentioned the tips to the anticipated judgment have been evident, including that they have been unperturbed as they’d already instituted an enchantment in opposition to the Federal Excessive Court docket’s judgment.
The OAGF has now confirmed that the enchantment successfully overrides the sooner courtroom resolution, making certain that allocations to the state will proceed pending the ultimate end result of the authorized course of.
