The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, contesting a Federal High Court ruling that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from releasing monthly federal allocations to the state.
The initial ruling, delivered on October 30, found that Governor Fubara violated constitutional provisions by presenting the 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers State House of Assembly. Justice Joyce AbdulMalik ruled that the disbursement of monthly allocations since January was unconstitutional and issued an injunction preventing the CBN, the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank from granting Rivers State access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Accounts.
During proceedings on Friday, a special three-judge panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, heard arguments from all parties. The appeal seeks to overturn the previous judgment and lift the restrictions on the state’s allocations.
The panel also consolidated five related appeals stemming from the same case. Justice Barka announced that judgment has been reserved and will be communicated to the parties at a later date.
