The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation have been ordered to stop further release of financial allocations to Rivers State government with immediate effect.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria gave the order in a judgement on Friday.
The Apex Court directed that the order shall be in force until the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, “stops all his illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional activities.”
The Supreme Court said that no money should be released to the Rivers State government until a lawful Appropriation Law is enacted under the Martin Amaewhule leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, the Court also ordered the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to resume function immediately.
The five-member panel of Justices of the apex court, led by Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji, dismantled all actions carried out by governor Fubara for being unlawful.
The Court lambasted the governor for engaging in criminal activity by demolishing the House of Assembly with impunity just to prevent the 27 legislators in the Rivers State House of Assembly from sitting to carry out lawful duties.
Justice Agim ordered that the Clerk and Deputy Clerk who were unlawfully redeployed out of the House of Assembly must be allowed to resume work alongside the House of Assembly workers.
The court held that it was an aberration for governor Fubara to operate with only four out of the 32 House of Assembly members under the guise of baseless fears that he would be impeached.
According to the Justices on the panel, Fubara, by his unlawful acts among others, collapsed the House of Assembly and used his immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to carry out barbaric acts against the rule of law.
The Supreme Court affirmed the concurrent judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, both in Abuja, which had earlier declared the acts against the 27 Rivers State House of Assembly members as unlawful and illegal.
A sum of N10 million fine was imposed on Fubara to be paid to the House of Assembly and the 27 members who instituted the suit against him.
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