Rivers’ Federal Allocations to Continue Amid Legal Dispute

|BY Adejumo Adekunle –

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has confirmed it will comply with court directives regarding federal allocations to Rivers State amidst ongoing legal battles over the state’s financial entitlements.

Speaking to juornalists on Friday, the OAGF’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, affirmed, “We are going to obey court orders. Since there is a notice of appeal, it has overridden the earlier judgment. Rivers will be paid.”

This assurance follows a Federal High Court ruling on October 30, 2024, which declared the Rivers State 2024 budget, presented to a four-member House of Assembly, unconstitutional. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik deemed the Assembly’s composition and subsequent budget approvals invalid, describing them as a “constitutional aberration” and a violation of Sections 91 and 96 of the 1999 Constitution.

The judgment, initiated by a suit filed by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly faction, questioned the legitimacy of the governor’s budgetary process. Despite the court ruling, the Rivers State Government promptly filed an appeal, with Commissioner for Information Joseph Johnson expressing confidence in a favorable outcome.

The OAGF’s position underscores that the appeal suspends the initial ruling, allowing federal allocations to Rivers State to continue pending the case’s resolution.