ABUJA: The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has confirmed it will comply with court orders concerning the disbursement of federal allocations to Rivers State, following recent legal challenges regarding the state’s financial entitlements.
Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, stated, “We are going to obey court order. 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.
This statement comes in response to a Federal High Court ruling on October 30, 2024, which directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to withhold further monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The court’s decision followed the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a four-member House of Assembly, which the court deemed unconstitutional.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the judgment, emphasized that since January 2024, the state’s financial dealings were based on an illegitimate budget, calling it a “constitutional aberration.
The ruling questioned the legitimacy of the House of Assembly’s composition and its authority to approve the budget, citing a failure to adhere to constitutional requirements.
The court found that the governor’s actions violated the constitution, particularly Sections 91 and 96, which govern the approval of budgets. The judge declared that any actions taken by the four-member Assembly loyal to Fubara were void and an affront to the rule of law.
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This judgment followed a suit filed by a faction of the State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, which challenged the legitimacy of the Fubara-backed assembly.
Despite the ruling, the Rivers State Government swiftly filed a notice of appeal, with the state’s Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, expressing confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn the judgment.
The OAGF has now confirmed that the ongoing appeal overrides the earlier court ruling, ensuring that the state will continue receiving its federal allocations until the final legal resolution.
