A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit seeking to compel Governor Siminialayi Fubara to represent the 2024 budget to the Martins Amaewhule-led faction of 26 lawmakers in the state.
The suit was filed by the Registered Trustees of the Association of Claimants of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners and listed the Government of Rivers State, Governor Fubara, and the Attorney-General of the state as defendants.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice S. M. Aprioku described the suit as “hasty and premature” based on the affidavit evidence presented by the parties.
Justice Aprioku stated that the question of jurisdiction, particularly concerning the legitimacy of the 27 former lawmakers to enact laws, is still pending before various courts.
Consequently, he ruled that the status quo must be maintained until the outstanding cases are resolved.