The Appeal Court in Abuja has overturned all orders that previously barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing funds to the Rivers State government.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Hamman Barka, ruled that the Federal High Court had overstepped its jurisdiction in the case, which concerned the state’s revenue.
The appellate court declared it unconstitutional for Justice Joyce Abdulmalik to issue such orders against Rivers State’s receipt of funds from its consolidated revenue fund.
The Appeal Court’s decision nullified the earlier ruling by Justice Abdulmalik, who had in October restrained Governor Siminalayi Fubara from accessing funds.
The High Court judge had labeled the presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member Rivers House of Assembly as unconstitutional and a breach of the 1999 Constitution.
The Appeal Court’s judgment restores the Rivers State government’s financial rights and clarifies the jurisdictional limits of lower courts in such matters.