BREAKING: Court of Appeal affirm Amaewhule as legitimate speaker of Rivers Assembly

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Hon. Martin Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, the court also recognized the Amaewhule-led lawmakers as the valid representatives of the state.

The ruling dismissed an appeal filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, upholding the Federal High Court’s earlier judgment that nullified the 2024 Rivers State budget on the grounds that it was not presented to recognized members of the Assembly.

Governor Fubara had withdrawn a counter-affidavit during the initial trial, which the appellate court noted barred him from appealing the decision. The court also emphasized that Fubara violated Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution by presenting the N800 billion budget to only four out of the 31 Assembly members, excluding the Amaewhule-led group, which had remained loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike.

The ruling follows a period of political tension between Fubara and Wike, which had divided the Assembly into factions. Despite a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu, the court ruled that the actions taken by Fubara’s faction were invalid, including the passage of the budget.

The appellate court ordered the governor to release funds due to the Rivers State House of Assembly and pay a fine of N500,000 to each of the respondents.