Breaking: Supreme Court reinstates pro-Wike lawmakers, fines Fubara

The Supreme Court, on Friday, reinstated Rt Hon Martins Amaewhule as the legitimate speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Other elected lawmakers were also ordered to resume legislative activities without obstruction.

The court also ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation to release statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.

The court criticized the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal for vacating the initial order that halted the disbursement of funds to the state.

It ruled that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s refusal to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Amaewhule-led lawmakers had triggered a constitutional crisis.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, delivering the lead judgment on behalf of a five-member panel, faulted the appellate court’s reasoning, stating that it had misinterpreted the core issue at hand. The Supreme Court clarified that the dispute was not solely about Rivers State’s consolidated revenue but centered on the governor’s refusal to comply with a subsisting court order mandating him to present the budget to a legally recognized Assembly.

Furthermore, the court upheld the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). It affirmed that they remain valid members of the Assembly until their status is legally resolved.

This ruling is expected to intensify the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, as all eyes are now on Governor Fubara and the state legislature to see how they will navigate the latest judicial pronouncement.