The Supreme Court has reinstated Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The ruling, delivered on Friday by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, affirmed Amaewhule and his 26 colleagues as the legally recognized lawmakers in the state.
In a lead judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court also issued an order preventing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) from disbursing budgetary allocations to Rivers State. This restriction will remain in place until a properly constituted House of Assembly passes a valid Appropriation Act.
The court further directed that all members of the Assembly should be allowed to resume their legislative duties without interference. This decision comes amid a prolonged political crisis in the state, fueled by allegations that Amaewhule and other lawmakers had defected from their original political party.
Justice Agim strongly criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of unlawfully attempting to undermine the government. He noted that Fubara’s actions, including pulling down the state assembly complex, were driven by fear of impeachment.
“The governor chose to destroy the government of Rivers and resorted to acting unlawfully by pulling down the house of assembly owing to his fear that there were moves to impeach him,” Justice Agim stated.
