The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, denied a request by the Rivers State Government to stay proceedings in a suit seeking to halt the allocation of funds to the 23 Local Government Areas in Rivers State.
The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, dismissed the request after hearing arguments from the State’s counsel, Gordy Uche, and the plaintiffs’ counsel, Joseph Daudu. The judge found the request to be unmeritorious and mischievous.
The court asserted its intent to proceed with the hearing of the suit.
The Rivers State House of Assembly and its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, had filed the suit, urging the court to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to withhold the state’s local government fund allocation.
The Rivers State Government opposed the hearing of the suit in Abuja, but the court overruled the objection, leading the state government to approach the Court of Appeal to intervene.
The state government subsequently filed an appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1197/2024, along with a motion to stay proceedings in the Federal High Court until the appeal is resolved.
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