The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that Rivers State Government will continue to receive its monthly allocation despite a Federal High Court ruling that ordered the stoppage of crediting the state from the federation account.
The Director of Press and Public Relations in the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, told Punch newspaper on Friday that Rivers State will be paid since the ruling of the Federal High Court had been appealed by the Rivers State Government.
“We are going to obey court order.
“Since there is a notice of appeal, the notice of appeal has overridden the earlier court judgment. So far, it is a court order that we will obey; if there is a notice of appeal, Rivers will be paid,” Mokwa told the newspaper.
Justice Justice Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court while ruling on suit FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2024, on October 30, 2024 had declared that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member House of Assembly was unconstitutional. The judge therefore ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to subsequently withhold Rivers State monthly allocation.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that Fubara’s actions violated Sections 91 and 96 of the 1999 Constitution, and warned that any continued bypassing of legislative processes constituted an affront to the rule of law.
The suit was filed by the Martin Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The Rivers State Government, however, immediately filed an appeal against the ruling.