The Supreme Court, today, fixed February 10, 2025, for the hearing of five separate cases instituted by the camps of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, at the apex Court.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, ordered an adjournment in the cases to enable the parties to file and serve the necessary court documents in the separate appeals.
For ease of determination, however, the court ordered the consolidation of four of the appeals, following a request to that effect by the appellants’ counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, who represented the Wike camp.
The four appeals the court consolidated for ease of hearing are: SC/CV/1174/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Government and nine others; SC/CV/1175/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Governor and nine others; SC/CV/1176/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, and nine others; and SC/CV/1177/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Accountant General of Rivers State and nine others.
Earlier, following a request for the withdrawal of a cross-appeal filed on November 18, 2024, in SC/CV/1071A/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the National Assembly and 16 others, Justice Aba-Aji announced that hearing has been fixed for February 10, 2025.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in a judgment delivered on January 22, 2024, faulted the presentation of the 2024 budget to four members of the State House of Assembly loyal to the governor.
Omotosho had then ordered the governor to re-present the budget to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Flowing from the judgment of Justice Omotosho, a sister court, also in the Abuja division, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, had ordered the stoppage of the release of allocations from the federal government to Rivers State until the governor presented the budget before the Amaewhule-led assembly.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of Justice Omotosho.