Supreme Court thrashes Fubara’s Appeal on re-presenting 2024 Budget

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, challenging the ruling that ordered him to present the 2024 appropriation bill before the House of Assembly faction led by Martin Amaewhule.

A five-member panel, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, dismissed the appeal on Monday after Fubara’s legal team, headed by Yusuf Ali (SAN), withdrew the case.

Previously, both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had ruled against Fubara, faulting his presentation of the budget before a five-member Assembly led by Edison Ehie. The governor had argued that the Amaewhule-led lawmakers were no longer legitimate members after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, the courts ruled that no concrete evidence was provided to support this claim.

Fubara, dissatisfied with the lower courts’ decisions, had approached the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings. However, during Monday’s proceedings, his legal team withdrew the appeal, citing that it had been “overtaken by events.”

Senior Advocates Wole Olanipekun (representing the Rivers State House of Assembly) and Joseph Daudu (representing the National Assembly) did not oppose the withdrawal but requested the court to dismiss the appeal rather than strike it out. They also sought a cost of ₦2 million for each of their clients.

Justice Aba-Aji granted the request, dismissed the appeal, and awarded ₦2 million in costs to the first to twelfth respondents.