Court gavel
Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday rejected a motion seeking to prevent the National Assembly from approving budgets or appointments submitted by the Rivers State government under its current Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.).
President Bola Tinubu appointed Ibas as Sole Administrator following the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Delivering the ruling, Justice James Omotosho stated that the court could not grant the requested injunction because the action the plaintiffs sought to stop—approval of the Rivers State budget—had already been completed.
The judge noted that the Senate had passed the state’s 2025 budget, amounting to ₦1.485 trillion, on June 25, after the bill’s third reading. Consequently, the motion to restrain the National Assembly was deemed moot, as the act in question was already finalized.
Justice Omotosho further observed that several issues raised in the motion were tied to the substantive suit, which would be addressed during its hearing, scheduled for October 20.
The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1190/2025, was filed by a group of Rivers State indigenes and the Registered Trustees of Hope Africa Foundation, including King Oziwe Amba, Chief Julius Bulous, Chief George Ikeme, Chief Amachelu Orlu, and Prince Odioha Wembe. The plaintiffs named the National Assembly and its Clerk as the first and second defendants, respectively.
They sought an interlocutory injunction to stop the defendants from engaging in legislative activities, including approving budgets or appointments proposed by Ibas, which they described as unconstitutional due to the alleged use of an invalid “voice vote” to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.
The plaintiffs argued that the National Assembly’s approval of the emergency rule lacked the required legislative backing, rendering it unconstitutional.
They further contended that the emergency government’s actions, including the submission of the state budget, violated their right to be governed by a democratically elected administration. The motion for the injunction was filed on June 24, following the main suit lodged on June 19.
In response, Mohammed Galadima, counsel for the National Assembly and its Clerk, urged the court to dismiss the motion, describing it as baseless. The defendants’ affidavit challenged the plaintiffs’ claims as false and misleading, asserting that their actions complied with constitutional provisions. They argued that granting the injunction would disrupt governance in Rivers State, cause confusion, and undermine justice.
Justice Omotosho, in his ruling on July 18, upheld the defendants’ position, dismissing the motion and emphasizing that the completed budget approval rendered the request for an injunction ineffective.
The court’s focus now shifts to the substantive suit, set for further hearing in October. (NAN)
