By Abiola Olawale
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld a judgment of the Federal High Court, which nullified the N800 billion budget passed by five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Edison Ehie as Speaker.
The appellate court on Thursday also struck out the appeal filed by the Rivers State Government and Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
The court held that the appeal filed by the Rivers State government and Governor Fubara lacked merit and was consequently dismissed on those grounds.
In the unanimous judgement, the court said that Fubara is expected to apply the rule of law and not the rule of might.
This comes after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja had nullified the N800 billion budget passed by the Edison Ehie-led Speaker group of the Rivers State House of Assembly and signed into law by Fubara.
The court said it based its ruling on a suit filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly under the leadership of Speaker Martin Amaewhule against Fubara.
It would be recalled that on December 13, 2023, in the heat of the protracted political crisis rocking the oil-rich state and the demolition of the Assembly Complex, Fubara presented the 2024 budget proposal of N800bn to five members of the State Assembly led by Edison Ehie as Speaker.
The presentation was done at the Government House in Port Harcourt, following the demolition of the Assembly Complex by the state government and after a court restrained Ehie’s contender, Martins Amaewhule, from using the Assembly Complex as well as parading himself as parallel speaker because he had lost his legislative seat having cross-carpeted from the political party through which he won his seat to the House if Assembly.
Ehie and the other lawmakers believed to be loyal to Fubara, consequently passed the budget estimates, and the governor signed the bill into law, saying it was aimed at promoting economic development through inclusive growth and addressing socio-economic inequality in Rivers state.
Amaewhule and 25 other lawmakers believed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike later demanded that Fubara should represent the 2024 budget estimates to the House of Assembly afresh, after an intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, with both sides unyielding in grounds, the matter was subsequently taken to court.
