Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt further financial allocations to the Rivers State government following alleged constitutional violations by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, presiding over the case on Wednesday, declared the Governor’s receipt and disbursement of funds from January 2024 a “constitutional somersault and aberration,” and ordered immediate cessation of funding through CBN, the Accountant General’s office, and Rivers’ major banking partners, Zenith and Access Banks. The ruling emerged after Fubara presented the state’s 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly—a move Justice Abdulmalik ruled as an affront to the constitutional requirement for budgetary processes.
In her judgment, Justice Abdulmalik emphasized that the Governor’s implementation of what she described as an “unlawful budget” reflected a gross breach of the 1999 Constitution, violating his oath to protect the nation’s laws. “Such actions undermine the sanctity of constitutional governance and must not continue,” the judge stated.
The court’s injunction effectively freezes Governor Fubara’s access to funds from both the Consolidated Revenue Fund and Federation Account, marking a significant judicial intervention aimed at enforcing constitutional compliance at the state level. The ruling sets a precedent for scrutiny over state financial practices and raises the stakes for governors across Nigeria in adherence to constitutional mandates.