The Court of Appeal in Abuja has confirmed Martin Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly.
In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel of justices also validated the Amaewhule-led members as authentic lawmakers for the state.
Governor Siminalaye Fubara’s appeal was dismissed, upholding the Federal High Court’s January 22 judgment that nullified the 2024 Rivers State budget.
The budget was deemed invalid because it was presented to the state assembly members not recognized by law.
The Rivers State Assembly was divided due to the strained relationship between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Fubara presented the N800 billion budget to only four out of 31 assembly members, led by Edison Ehie, who had emerged as a factional Speaker.
This move was deemed a gross violation of Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, Fubara and Wike signed a peace pact, restoring Amaewhule as Speaker.
The factional Speaker, Ehie, withdrew his court processes and resigned from the Assembly.
The high court ruled that Governor Fubara acted unconstitutionally by demolishing the Assembly complex, withholding funds, and redeploying the Clerk and Deputy Clerk.
The court also stated that the National Assembly could not take over the state’s legislative affairs without meeting specific conditions.
As a result, the court nullified actions taken by the Rivers Assembly without Amaewhule’s members, including the budget presentation.
It ordered Fubara to release funds to the Assembly and refrain from impeding its operations.
The appellate court upheld the lower court’s verdict, stating that Fubara conceded to Amaewhule’s lawmakers by withdrawing his court processes.
Fubara was ordered to pay N500,000 to each respondent in the appeal.
