.State govt describes ruling on 2024 budget as sad, unfair
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out a suit brought before it seeking an interpretation of the legal stance of the presidential peace proclamation on the political issues in the state for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The suit, which was filed by 10 representatives of Rivers indigenes, led by Anabs Sara-Igbe, as applicants, while President Bola Tinubu, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Martin Amaewhule, Rivers State House of Assembly and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the respondents.
Sara-Igbe and nine others had approached the court in a bid to seek constitutional interpretation on whether the eight-point resolution by the President, in resolving the political impasse in the state, is consistent with sections of the Constitution of Nigeria as amended.
The applicants also sought the interpretation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, on whether the President has the legal right to direct the governor to represent the 2024 budget to 24 members of the House of Assembly led by Amaewhule even after their seats were declared vacant.
However, when the matter came up, yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu, did not allow for any motion, but delivered a ruling, declining jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
Nworgu cited the judgment of James Omotosho of Abuja High Court, which nullified activities of the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joe Johnson, has described the Federal High Court ruling, in Abuja, ordering Governor Siminilayi Fubara to represent the 2024 budget to the State House of Assembly, led by Amaewhule group, as sad development and unfair.
The Commissioner said that Justice James Omotosho Federal High Court was aware that the state government had already withdrawn the matter in obedience to President Bola Tinubu’s directive, yet it went ahead to deliver judgment in the same matter.
Johnson insisted that the decision of the court to deliver judgement on a matter already withdrawn from court was unfair and regretful.
He said: “The President directed that the governor and his lawyers should withdraw all cases; and we did so in obedience to the directive. The judge that went ahead to give such judgment didn’t give us fair hearing.”
However, the state Chapter of APC has urged Fubara to take advantage of the court ruling and properly present the 2024 appropriation bill to the Amaewhule-led Assembly.
The Chairman/Leader of the APC in the state, Tony Okocha, told newsmen, in Port Harcourt, that the decision of Justice James, nullifying the N800 billion budget passed by the Edison Ehie-led group of the state House of Assembly and signed into law by Fubara was a welcome development.
