BREAKING: Fubara wins as Court of Appeal overturns ruling on Rivers Federal allocations

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a previous judgement that prevented the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing monthly federal allocations to Rivers State.

In a split decision on Friday, two out of three justices ruled in favor of the Rivers State Government, granting relief to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Represented by his legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, the governor successfully argued that the High Court’s earlier ruling, delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on October 30, was made in bad faith.

The case stemmed from a factional dispute within the Rivers State House of Assembly.

A group led by Martin Amaewhule, loyal to former governor and current minister Nyesom Wike, had secured a Federal High Court order barring the state from receiving its federal allocations.

The faction accused the state executive of failing to comply with an order to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill.

This decision prompted the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to announce compliance with the court order, temporarily halting allocations to the state.

However, Governor Fubara challenged the ruling at the appellate court, which ultimately overturned the ban.

The appellate court’s ruling not only restores the state’s financial lifeline but also upholds recent local government elections conducted under Fubara’s administration.