Wike, Fubara camps set to face off in Supreme Court, February 10

The political factions of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, are set for a showdown at the Supreme Court on February 10, 2025, as five separate cases filed against each other are scheduled for hearing.

On Monday, both camps escalated their disagreements over governance and other issues in Rivers State to the apex court, where it was revealed that five cases had been filed by the opposing sides.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, adjourned the cases to give all parties time to file and exchange the necessary documents.

Four of the cases were consolidated to streamline the hearing process, following a request by Joseph Daudu (SAN), counsel for the appellants representing Wike’s camp.

The consolidated cases include disputes involving the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Rivers State Government, the Governor, RSIEC, the Accountant-General of Rivers State, and other respondents.

Meanwhile, in a cross-appeal filed on November 18, 2024, involving the Rivers State House of Assembly and others versus the National Assembly and 16 additional respondents, Justice Aba-Aji set February 10, 2025, as the hearing date following the withdrawal of the cross-appeal.

The disputes originate from various court rulings and governance issues in Rivers State. In January 2024, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled against Governor Fubara for submitting the state’s budget to just four House of Assembly members aligned with his camp.

The court directed the governor to resubmit the budget to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction, which supports Wike. Subsequently, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Abuja division ordered a halt to federal allocations to Rivers State until the governor complied with the ruling.

Although the Court of Appeal upheld Justice Omotosho’s ruling, it overturned Justice Abdulmalik’s decision, citing significant injustices in her findings.

In a related matter, the appellate court reversed a ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had opposed the October 5, 2024, local government council elections due to alleged procedural non-compliance.

During the Supreme Court proceedings, Governor Fubara’s legal team, led by Chris Uche (SAN), and Wike’s team, headed by Joseph Daudu (SAN), appeared alongside approximately 50 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and a contingent of junior lawyers representing both sides.