The Supreme Court has imposed a N2 million fine on Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara following a case concerning the invalidation of the state’s 2024 budget.
In addition to the penalty, the apex court dismissed Governor Fubara’s appeal against the ruling that declared the budget unlawful.
A five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, rejected Fubara’s challenge to the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly under Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
The governor had initially presented the budget to a different faction led by Edison Ehie.
The Supreme Court’s decision was based on the withdrawal of the case by Fubara’s legal counsel, Yusuf Ali.
Governor Fubara had submitted the 2024 budget to the Ehie-led House of Assembly in December 2023. However, on October 10, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ruled against this action, affirming an earlier judgment by the Federal High Court on January 22, 2024, which nullified the budget’s passage.
The legal battle stemmed from a lawsuit filed by lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Amaewhule.
They contended that the budget approved by the Ehie faction was illegitimate and could not be recognized.