July 22, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court, Abuja has declined to stop Governor Siminalayi Fubara from spending government funds, pending the hearing and determination of a substantive suit filed by the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
A faction of the Rivers Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule (1st and 2nd plaintiffs) had, through their lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, filed the suit dated July 14 but filed July 15.
They had sued the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
THEWILL reports that the 5th to 10th defendants are Fubara; Accountant-General (A-G) of Rivers; Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC); Chief Judge (CJ) of Rivers, Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi; Chairman of RSIEC, Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (rtd.), and Government of Rivers State respectively.
Amaewhule and 24 others had prayed the court for an injunction to restrain the 1st to 4th defendants from honouring any financial instructions from Governor Fubara. They also prayed the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from providing voter registers to the RSIEC ahead of the October 5th local government elections.
Ruling on the motion ex-parte marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24 and moved by Sebastien Hon, SAN, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the plaintiffs to put all the defendants in the suit on notice.
The court ordered the plaintiffs to serve the 5th to 10th defendants with the originating process and other applications in the matter by substituted means.
“The leave is hereby granted to the plaintiffs/applicants to serve the 5th to 10th defendants/respondents with the plaintiffs/applicants’ originating and any other process(es) filed or issued in this suit by substituted means to wit: By publishing same in the Nation Newspapers,” the court held.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until August 7 for hearing of the motion on notice.
