The Federal Government has not stopped disbursement of funds to Rivers State contrary to reports on some online platforms on Friday......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation told the Tribune that, “disbursement of October allocation to states and local governments by FAAC is ongoing”.
He explained that, “Rivers State will benefit because of a subsisting appeal/stay of execution order.”
Recall that the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division had on Friday reserved judgements in five separate appeals arising from the judgements of a Federal High Court in Abuja on the Rivers State government political crisis.
One of the appeals is against the judgement of the High Court which stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from releasing federal allocation to Rivers State.
The presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, Justice Hamma Barka reserved the judgements to a date that would be communicated to the parties after all processes filed in the appeals were adopted by counsel.
Earlier, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of a Federal High Court, Abuja had, in a judgement delivered on 30th October stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from further releasing monthly financial allocations to Rivers State government.
The court held that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January this year by Governor Fubara is a constitutional summersault and aberration that must not be allowed to continue.
Justice Abdulmalik who issued the order in a judgment in the suit filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and Rt Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule as its Speaker, held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers State House of Assembly was an affront to the constitutional provision.
The Judge specifically held that Fubara’s action in implementing unlawful budget smacked gross violations of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect and consequently restrained the apex bank, the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.