Archive February 28, 2025

Nyesom Wike, the FCT’s Minister, reported on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision to end impunity in the oil-rich state stemmed from a crisis that had rocked the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other organizations were prohibited from releasing funds to the Rivers State government until it purges itself of what the court describes as flagrant disobedience to court orders by the apex court in its ruling on Friday.

The five-man court panel unanimously rejected Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cross-appeal challenging the legitimacy of the House of Assembly, which Martin Amaewhule is the Speaker.

The state’s most recent local government elections were also annulled by the Supreme Court because they flagrantly violated the Electoral Act.

Read more about the Supreme Court’s Sacks Rivers Local Government Chairmen.

The minister briefed reporters shortly after the verdict and praised the judiciary for upholding the rule of law.

It is unheard of if you permit one member to form an assembly one day, and you have no authority to do it. We must commend the judiciary for declaring that this kind of impunity cannot be tolerated, according to Wike.

“You conducted local government elections without adhering to the Electoral Act.” People were ecstatic for him (Siminalyi Fubara, the governor), saying, “Yes, you did well.”

Former Rivers State Governor Wike also criticised Governor Siminalyi Fubara and the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum.

He claimed that the Supreme Court’s decision, which represents the matter’s final legal authority, leaves the Rivers State Governor with no choice but to fully accept it.

“I hope they will salute him today.” I’m hoping the PDP Governors Forum’s Chairman will also come up for him today. He continued, “We must not truncate our democracy, as Supreme Court has stated in recent months.”

The highest court of the land has now disregarded this issue, according to the FCT Minister, and all that can be appealed to God is now.

It’s not about me, people are saying, “Wike Wike, it’s not about me, how can a man destroy the state assembly’s edifice and bring his portion to his house, unheard of.”

The impunity must end, according to me, because it is happiness for Rivers people as well as Nigerians. You can’t allow this to happen, he said, “We can’t allow anyone to tamp down the country’s democracy,” he said.

The $54.99 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill has been passed into law by President Bola Tinubu. &nbsp,

The 2025 budget is 99.96% higher than the 2024 appropriation bill of ₦27.5 trillion.

On Friday, Tinubu gave it signature signatures in his office at the State House in Abuja. The Nigerian leader’s initial bill, which was $49.7 trillion, was increased.

The bill had undergone a number of revisions before the National Assembly approved it on February 13.

Theodore Orji, a former governor of Abia State, and four others were detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday for allegedly misappropriating about $47.5 billion.

Other than the former governor, Romas Madu, his son, Engineer Chinedum Orji, a former Abia State governor, and former Abia State director Romas Madu are his fellow defendants.

On a 16-count conspiracy charge that included the theft and conversion of billions of naira used for various government programs, they were all arraigned before the Chief Judge, Justice Lilian Abai.

In particular, they are accused of stealing N13 billion from a loan facility provided by Diamond Bank, and illegally converting N12 billion from the refund from the Paris Club. N22.5 billion was used for security votes from 2011 to 2015.

Read more about the Supreme Court’s Sacks Rivers Local Government Chairmen.

In addition, they are accused of refining 2 billion dollars from Central Bank of Nigeria funds designated for small and medium enterprises with a loan that First Bank granted to the Abia State government and its local councils.

Lead prosecutor Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) requested that the court registrar read the charges to the defendants so they could make their pleas at the start of the case.

Pinheiro stressed the value of making sure the accusers fully comprehend the charges.

The charges were all dropped by each of the five defendants.

On behalf of their clients, Bode Olanipekun, SAN (representing the first defendant), Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN (for the second defendant), Okey Amechi (SAN), and Isaac Anya, the defense team filed bail applications.

Pinheiro requested the court’s discretion in determining the terms of the bail, but he objected.

The Supreme Court has declared the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s 5 October 2024 local government election to be invalid.

The court declared the election invalid because it flagrantly violated the Electoral Act in a judgment rendered by Justice Jamilu Tukur.

According to Justice Tukur, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s decision is void because it continued to register voters even after the election date was announced.

The court determined that Section 150 of the Electoral Act was clearly violated when processes that led to the organization of a local government election were cut short.

Also read: Supreme Court of Canada forbids CBN from releasing funds to the Rivers Government and allows Amaewhule to resume sitting with all elected assembly members.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other organizations were ordered by the Supreme Court to refrain from releasing funds to the Rivers State government until it explicitly disobeyed court orders in a new judgment on Friday.

The five-member court’s unanimous decision overturned the cross-appeal filed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara challenging the legitimacy of the House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye delivered the one-hour, thirty-six-minute judgment.

The court ordered Martin Amaewhule to resume sitting with other Rivers State House of Assembly elected members after dismissing Governor Fubara’s appeal.

The court determined that Governor Fubara’s alleged purported presentation of an appropriation bill before a four-man House of Assembly, in violation of a court order, which required him (Fubara) to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill before a legitimately constituted Assembly led by Amaewhule, is an absurd behavior.

The apex court further ruled that Governor Fubara’s actions in response to the alleged defection of twenty-eight Rivers Assembly members were brigandage and dictatorship meant to obstruct the House from carrying out its legitimate duties under Amaewhule’s leadership.

Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio have gotten more heated after Akpoti-Uduaghan made some serious allegations of sexual advances against him on Friday.

The senator from the Kogi Central Senatorial District made the claim during a Friday morning interview with Arise TV, which was closely watched by Persecondnews.

She claimed that Akpabio’s real issue stems from her opposition to the alleged advances.

She compared her situation to a lecturer’s punishment for refusing to sleep with a student.

Mojisola Meranda, the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has criticised Mudashiru Obasa’s actions, insisting that he is still the speaker.

She addressed reporters on Thursday at the Lagos State High Court, where Obasa had filed a lawsuit to have him removed.

Also read: “I’ve Never Been Removed,” Obasa Requires that he remain the speaker of the Lagos Assembly.

She referred to Obasa’s action at the Assembly as “just a show of shame,” saying, “We have numbers that form quorum.” Therefore, you are only performing theater if you are sitting with three or four people.

Watch her comments in the comments section below: