A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has refused to halt the expenditures of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. This decision comes pending the hearing of a substantive suit filed by former speaker of Rivers state House of Assembly Martin Amaewhule and his commitee of friends.
Justice Emeka Nwite, ruling on the motion ex-parte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24 and presented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Sebastien Hon, SAN, ordered that all defendants be notified instead. The matter has been adjourned to August 7 for the hearing of the motion on notice.
The defendants include Governor Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers, the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the Chief Judge of Rivers, Justice S.C. Amadi, RSIEC Chairman Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retired), and the Government of Rivers State.
The suit, filed by former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Martin Amaewhule on July 15, lists the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) as the first four defendants.
Reacting to the development, an analyst said “Amaewhule and his Committee of friends sought an injunction to prevent these banks from honoring any financial instructions from Governor Fubara. They also aimed to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from providing voter registers to the RSIEC ahead of the October 5 local government elections.
However, with the court’s decision, Amaewhule and his committee’s plans have hit a snag. It seems their celebration was premature, leaving them with egg on their faces once again”.