A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a bid to halt all expenditures by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed by the Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly.
The assembly, loyal to Fubara’s predecessor, Nyesom Wike, sought to restrain Fubara from accessing state funds.
The legal battle is part of a larger struggle for control of the political structure in Rivers State between Fubara and Wike, erstwhile allies turned rivals.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on July 17, ordered the plaintiffs to put all defendants on notice and granted permission to serve the 5th to 10th defendants with court processes by substituted means, including publication in a national newspaper.
The defendants include Fubara, the Accountant-General of Rivers, Rivers Independent Electoral Commission, the Chief Judge of Rivers, and the Government of Rivers State.
The plaintiffs, the Rivers House of Assembly faction led by Amaewhule, had filed the suit on July 15, seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants from honouring any financial instructions from Fubara.
The court adjourned the matter until August 7 to hear the motion on notice.
This development comes after the Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly suspended all expenditures by Fubara on July 15, giving him a seven-day ultimatum to re-present his budget, which they claimed had expired.