The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal filed by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the leadership of the State House of Assembly under Martin Amaewhule. Amaewhule is a known loyalist of former Rivers Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Uwani Abba-Aji stated that Fubara’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Yusuf Ali, voluntarily withdrew the appeal. Following the withdrawal, the Supreme Court imposed a fine of two million naira on the governor, payable to the Rivers State House of Assembly and Martin Amaewhule, listed as the first and second respondents, respectively.
Documents obtained by Chronicles Reporters and signed by Fubara’s lawyer confirm that the appeal withdrawal notice was submitted on February 6, 2025. The document states: “TAKE NOTICE that the Appellant herein intends and wholly withdraws his Appeal against all the Respondents in this appeal, the appeal has been overtaken by events.”
With this decision, Governor Fubara is now legally bound by the Court of Appeal’s earlier ruling, which affirmed Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In a related development, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had previously nullified the N800 billion budget passed by the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Assembly, which was later signed into law by Governor Fubara. The court upheld the lawsuit filed by the Amaewhule-led Assembly, which sought to prevent the governor from interfering in the legislative arm’s operations.
On December 13, 2023, amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, Governor Fubara presented the 2024 budget proposal—amounting to N800 billion—to five lawmakers from the Edison Ehie-led faction. The presentation took place at the Government House in Port Harcourt, following the controversial demolition of the State Assembly Complex. At the time, a court ruling had restrained Amaewhule from accessing the Assembly premises.
Despite these legal battles, the pro-Fubara legislators proceeded with passing the budget, which the governor signed into law. He defended the move, stating that the budget aimed at fostering economic growth and addressing socio-economic disparities in Rivers State.
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With due respect I read and pass