The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has confirmed that Rivers State will continue to receive its federal allocations, despite ongoing legal challenges regarding the state’s financial entitlements.
The OAGF reassured that it would comply with all court orders, including adhering to any notices of appeal.
In a statement made on Friday, Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations at OAGF, explained that, given the notice of appeal filed by Rivers State, the legal process takes precedence.
“We will comply with court orders,” Mokwa stated, emphasizing that the notice of appeal effectively overrides the initial court ruling, ensuring that Rivers will continue to receive payments.
This assurance follows a controversial ruling by the Federal High Court on October 30, 2024, which directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to withhold future monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The court’s decision was based on Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget to a House of Assembly with only four members, which the court declared unconstitutional.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in delivering the judgment, stated that the state’s financial activities since January 2024 had been based on an illegitimate budget, labeling the situation a “constitutional aberration.”
The court raised concerns about the composition of the Rivers State House of Assembly, questioning its legal authority to approve the state’s budget.
It was ruled that the Governor’s actions, bypassing constitutional requirements for a fully constituted Assembly, violated sections of the Nigerian Constitution and were an affront to the rule of law.
The judgment followed a suit filed by a faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule, who challenged the legitimacy of the four-member Assembly backed by Governor Fubara.
The Amaewhule faction had earlier in the year declared that the state should stop all expenditures until the governor presented a legitimate budget to a properly constituted Assembly.
Despite the ruling, the Rivers State Government immediately filed an appeal against the judgment, and the state’s Information Commissioner, Joseph Johnson, expressed confidence that the Appeal Court would overturn the decision.
He described the court’s ruling as unfounded, asserting that the governor’s legal team was optimistic about the outcome of the appeal.
In light of the ongoing legal proceedings, the OAGF has confirmed that the federal allocations to Rivers State will continue, pending the final resolution of the matter in court.
