Tensions High As Supreme Court Prepares Verdicts On Rivers State Power Struggle

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its judgment on four separate appeals linked to the ongoing political leadership tussle in Rivers State.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The apex court deferred its decisions after hearing legal arguments from both sides, stating that the judgment date will be communicated to all parties in due course.

Presiding over a five-member panel, Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji announced that notifications would be sent once the judgments were finalized.

The four appeals, marked SC/CV/1174/2024, SC/CV/1175/2024, SC/CV/1176/2024, and SC/CV/1177/2024, involve the Rivers State House of Assembly contesting various bodies, including the Rivers State Government, the Governor, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), and the Accountant General of Rivers State.

These legal battles stem from rulings by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which imposed restrictions on the release of monthly allocations from the Federation Account to Rivers State. One of the judgments also prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supplying voter registers to the state for local government elections, among other limitations.

It’s worth recalling that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ordered the suspension of federal allocations to Rivers State until Governor Siminalayi Fubara presented the state’s budget to the House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, an ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.