In the video which was shared by his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, the minister, who was also the immediate past governor of Rivers state, was with the former Governor of Abia State and member of the Wike-led G5 governors ahead of the 2023 election, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu.
Recall that Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers have been at loggerheads over the control of the political structure of the state, a development that has divided the assembly into factions.
See the video of the former governor here:
On Friday, February 27, the Supreme Court upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing the Rivers state monthly allocations to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court ordered that Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly and other elected lawmakers in the assembly should immediately resume sittings and without hindrance.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment of the five-member panel, held that the Court of Appeal misread the core issue in the dispute when it associated it with consolidated revenue of Rivers state alone.
According to the apex court, such a wrong view made the Court of Appeal rule that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the suit. It maintained that the case was about the refusal of Governor Fubara to obey an existing court order which mandated him to represent the 2024 appropriation bill before the valid lawmakers.
The judge then ruled that the 27 lawmakers who allegedly dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) remained valid members of the House until the court determines their final status.
Governor Fubara’s claim that he invoked the doctrine of necessity by presenting the Appropriation Bill to four lawmakers in the assembly because of the defection of the lawmakers was dismissed by the court. It stated that illegal action can’t be justified with the doctrine of necessity.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
