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The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule. The court also ordered Fubara to pay N2 million to the Assembly and Amaewhule.
The five-member panel, headed by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, ruled on Monday that the case be dismissed after Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali, withdrew the appeal. The Supreme Court’s ruling comes after Fubara’s legal team filed a notice of withdrawal on February 6, explaining that the appeal had been overtaken by events.
This case stems from a legal dispute over the presentation of the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill. Fubara had presented the bill to only four out of the 31 members of the Assembly, a move that was widely criticized. The Court of Appeal had previously ruled that this action violated the Nigerian Constitution, which requires a quorum of at least one-third of Assembly members for legislative matters. The appeal court had also noted that Fubara’s decision to have only four members deliberate and pass the bill within a few hours was illegal.
Further court rulings, including a decision by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, upheld the view that the presentation of the budget to a four-member faction, led by Edison Ehie, was unlawful. The courts found that Fubara’s argument that the Amaewhule-led faction lost legitimacy after defecting from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress lacked sufficient evidence.
Following the Court of Appeal’s ruling, Fubara approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the decision. However, the case was dismissed after his lawyer withdrew the appeal.
In the court’s ruling, the respondents, represented by various legal counsels, did not oppose the withdrawal of the appeal. However, J.B. Daudu (SAN) and Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who represented some of the respondents, requested that a cost of N2 million be awarded, which the court granted.
The dismissal of the appeal marks the conclusion of a long-running legal battle between Fubara and the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
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