The Federal Government on Friday revealed that, contrary to reports, it has not stopped the disbursement of funds to Rivers State.
According to The Punch, Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, stated that the government would comply with the court order.
Since there is a notice of appeal, the notice of appeal has overridden the earlier court judgment. So far, it is a court order that we will obey; if there is a notice of appeal, Rivers will be paid.”
Recall that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on October 30 barred the Federal Government from releasing further monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The court, in the judgment that was delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, specifically restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from allowing the state to draw funds from the consolidated revenue account.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/24, which was brought before the court by the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, urged the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to set aside the judgment that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.