Rivers Elders vow to appeal High Court rulling which struck out their suit seeking to stop Fubara from re-presenting N800bn budget to Assembly

Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt

Some elders of Rivers State and stakeholders who approached the Court to stop Governor Siminalayi Fubara from re-presenting the over N800bn 2024 budget to the Martin Amaehwule-led members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to appeal the ruling of the court which struck out their case.

A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, had yesterday dismissed the suit by the Rivers stakeholders to stop Governor Fubara from presenting a fresh 2024 budget to the Assembly which was one of the 8 points peace agreement with President Tinubu for peace to return to the state.

The suit by the Rivers Elders and Stakeholder’s challenging the controversial 8 points peace agreement initiated by President Bola Tinubu between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, in resolving the Rivers State crisis was also dismissed.

Claimants in the suit, on behalf of Rivers elders, include Victor Jumbo, Bennett Birabi, Andrew Uchendu, Anabs Sara-Igbe, Ann Kio-Briggs and others.

Governor Fubara had, in the heat of the political crisis in the state signed into law the N800 billion 2024 budget after presenting it to a four-member assembly loyal to him.

The controversial peace agreement brokered by the president also ordered the Governor to forward to the assembly for consideration and approval, the names of 9 commissioners loyal to Wike, who voluntarily resigned from Fubara’s cabinet in the midst of the crisis to confirm their loyalty to the FCT Minister.

But the Rivers Elders and Stakeholder’s asked the court to declare the President’s resolution as unconstitutional and also stop the governor from returning the 9 Commissioners to his cabinet as mandated by the agreement, even as they argued the pro-Wike lawmakers had lost their seats after their defection to the APC.

When the suit came up for hearing, the Judge, Chiwendu Nworgu, turned down the hearing on a motion for a substitute service to some parties but instead delivered a ruling, declining jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

Justice Nwogu cited the Monday, January 22nd ruling by Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja which nullified the decisions taken by the four-member assembly, Justice Nworgu struck out the suit.

High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, one of the 10 Rivers Elders and Stakeholders in the suit, told newsmen outside the courtroom, said the suit was part of their efforts to fight for the liberation of the souls of Rivers people, adding that they would direct their counsel to appeal the decision of Justice Nworgu.

He accused the judge of not following due process of the case, adding that he was shocked when the case was assigned to Justice Nworgu from the first judge that handled it before.

“They want us to go to Abuja and file the case afresh. We won’t do that. We will appeal the judgment. We need justice and we will get justice,” he said.

Counsel to one of the claimants, Emmanule Rukari, expressed disappointment over the position of the court, saying that the ruling was an indication that the “Judiciary is not the last hope for the common man.”