Breaking News: Court of Appeal Upholds Amaewhule as Rivers State Assembly Speaker, Nullifies 2024 Budget
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Hon. Martin Amaewhule as the legitimate Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, in a ruling delivered on Thursday. The court also recognized the Amaewhule-led members as the valid lawmakers representing the state.
In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, the court dismissed an appeal filed by Governor Siminalaye Fubara and upheld the earlier Federal High Court ruling that nullified Rivers State's 2024 budget. The court ruled that the budget was invalid because it was not presented to a legally recognized assembly.
Governor Fubara's decision to present the N800 billion budget to only four out of the 31 members of the Assembly, bypassing the Amaewhule-led lawmakers loyal to former Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was declared a violation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). This move, the court emphasized, breached section 91, which outlines legislative procedures.
The ruling comes amid a deep political rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, which has led to a factional split within the Rivers State Assembly. Fubara's faction, led by Hon. Edison Ehie, had previously declared the seats of the pro-Wike lawmakers vacant and passed the 2024 budget with just four members. The court’s ruling now nullifies this process.
The decision is seen as a major victory for Amaewhule and his loyalists, and it reinforces the constitutional requirements for legislative operations in Rivers State.