The Supreme Court on Monday reserved judgments in four separate appeals on the raging legal battle on the political leadership in Rivers State.
The Apex Court reserved judgments in the appeals till a date that would be communicated to parties after talking arguments from lawyers involved in the four appeals.
Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji who led a five-member panel of justices of the court that heard the cases announced that parties would be communicated once the judgments are ready.
The four appeals are marked SC/CV/1174/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Government and nine others; SC/CV/1175/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Rivers State Governor and nine others; SC/CV/1176/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, (RSIEC), and nine others; and SC/CV/1177/2024, between Rivers State House of Assembly and others against the Accountant General of Rivers State and nine others.
They are in respect of some judgments delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja which prohibited the release of monthly funds to Rivers state from the Federation Account and another that barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing voter registers to the state government for the purpose conducting local government election among others.
It would be recalled that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had ordered the stoppage of the release of allocations from the federal government to Rivers State until the governor presented the budget before the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly members.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the judgment of Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on the grounds of grave injustice in the findings and decisions.
Similarly, the Court of Appeal, in another judgment, upturned the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had ruled against the conduct of the October 5, 2024, local government council election in Rivers state because due process of Rivers State laws on local government elections had not been followed.
At Monday’s proceedings, Joseph Daudu, SAN represented the camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike while Chris Uche, SAN led the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
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