Rivers will continue to receive allocations despite legal disputes — FG

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has clarified that Rivers State will not be denied its federal allocation despite ongoing legal face-off.

Though, this is coming after the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr Bawa Mokwa, on Friday said that the government would respect court directives regarding the matter.

“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,” PUNCH quoted Mokwa as saying.

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja issued a ruling on October 30 barring the Federal Government from disbursing monthly allocations to Rivers State.

The decision, delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to restrict the state’s access to funds in the consolidated revenue account.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit (FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24) filed by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, urged the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to set aside the judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.

Mr Fubara, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Yusuf Ali, SAN, prayed a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Hamma Barka, to vacate the high court order, which he maintained was issued in bad faith.

He urged the appellate court to allow his appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1303/2024 and nullify adverse orders that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court made against the state in the judgement she delivered on October 30.

Governor Fubara’s plea came on a day the Justice Barka-led panel consolidated five other appeals that arose from the said judgement of the high court.

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