An appeal filed by Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly has been dismissed by the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Fubara was also ordered to pay ₦2m to the Assembly and the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji on Monday.
The case was dismissed after Fubara’s lawyer, Yusuf Ali, withdrew the suit.
Recall that on October 10, 2024, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, admonished Fubara for failing to follow the rule of law in his actions.
The court ruled that his decision to present the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to only four out of 31 members of the Assembly was a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The court stated that presenting the budget to just four members contradicted the Nigerian Constitution.
It added, “The appellant hurriedly submitted the Rivers State Appropriation Bill to four members, who then considered, deliberated on, and passed it into law within a few hours.”
The court further held that Fubara’s actions violated Section 96 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires at least one-third of the Assembly members to form a quorum. It noted that “four out of 31 members cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, constitute the required quorum for legislative business”.
Meanwhile, Justice James Omotosho, of the Federal High Court, also ruled against Fubara’s presentation of the 2024 budget before the 4-member Assembly led by Edison Ehie.
