Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has officially withdrawn his appeal against the Court of Appeal’s verdict, which nullified the 2024 state budget.
The announcement was made on Monday by Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Governor Fubara had initially presented the 2024 budget to the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly in December 2023. However, on October 10, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a Federal High Court ruling from January 22, 2024, which declared the budget’s passage invalid.
The dispute over the budget arose after lawmakers loyal to Wike, led by Martins Amaewhule, challenged its legitimacy in court, arguing that it had not been properly passed through the state’s recognized legislative body.
The withdrawal of the appeal comes amid ongoing political tensions between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, over control of the state’s political structures.
In a social media post, Olayinka stated that Fubara’s decision to withdraw the appeal signified his acceptance of the court’s ruling.
He wrote: “Governor Fubara of Rivers State has withdrawn his appeal No. SC/CV/1071/2024 against the Appeal Court’s decision, which ruled that the 2024 budget was illegally passed and directed him to submit it to the House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule.
The Appeal Court had earlier upheld the judgment of Justice J. K. Omotosho in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/1613/2023, which mandated that the governor must re-present the budget to the duly recognized House of Assembly.
By withdrawing the appeal, Governor Fubara has acknowledged the rulings of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which found that his initial budget presentation was unconstitutional.”
As of now, the Rivers State Government has not issued an official statement on the matter.