The Court of Appeal has reversed the previous ruling barring CBN from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The court’s decision came after a split ruling, with two justices siding with Rivers State. One justice dissented, supporting the earlier decision by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Federal High Court had barred CBN from disbursing funds due to alleged constitutional violations. Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget was cited as a constitutional violation.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had ruled that Fubara’s actions were unlawful and unconstitutional under Nigerian law. Rivers State had continued to receive and spend allocations since January under the disputed budget.
Governor Fubara appealed the ruling, claiming the judgment was issued in bad faith. His legal team, led by Yusuf Ali SAN, argued for the appeal’s success in the Court of Appeal.
The court’s ruling allows CBN to resume monthly allocations to the Rivers State government starting immediately.
