Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has withdrawn his appeal against the Court of Appeal ruling that declared the state’s 2024 budget illegal.
The withdrawal was confirmed by Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali. Following this, Supreme Court Justice Uwani Abba-Aji dismissed the appeal and ordered the governor to pay ₦2 million to the Rivers State House of Assembly and its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
Lere Olayinka, Media Aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, also announced the development on Monday.
Governor Fubara had initially presented the 2024 budget to the Edison Ehie-led House of Assembly in December 2023. However, on October 10, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld an earlier Federal High Court ruling from January 22, 2024, which nullified the budget’s passage.
The dispute began when pro-Wike lawmakers, led by Amaewhule, challenged the budget’s approval in court, arguing that it was not properly passed.
The conflict is part of an ongoing political battle between Governor Fubara and his former ally, Wike, over control of Rivers State’s political structure.
In a social media post, Olayinka claimed that Fubara’s withdrawal of the appeal was an admission of wrongdoing.
He wrote, “Governor Fubara of Rivers State has withdrawn his appeal No. SC/CV/1071/2024 against the Appeal Court judgment declaring the 2024 Budget of the State illegal and ordering him to present the budget to the House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule.
“The Appeal Court had upheld the judgment of Justice J. K. Omotosho in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/1613/2023, wherein the court ruled that Governor Fubara should re-present the 2024 budget to the House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule.
“By this withdrawal, Gov. Fubara has accepted the lower and appellate courts’ judgments, declaring the presentation of the Rivers State budget to three members of the State House of Assembly as illegal.”
Governor Fubara’s camp has not yet commented on the matter.
