Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State has received the backing of top government officials of the state and information management experts on his stand that all parties must wait for the release of the certified true copies (CTCs) of the Supreme Court rulings in the four consolidated appeals which were delivered February 28, 2025.
The governor, in his response after the rulings last week Friday, agreed to comply with the orders but asked that all parties be calm till the CTCs were released. A commissioner of information that served in the Nyesom Wike administration, Chris Finebone, has supported the call for CTC first before actions or comments.
The rulings asked the governor to obey the federal high court order that the 2024 budget of the state be submitted to the Martin Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and not the three-man Victor Oko-Jumbo led faction.
The apex court also ruled that the federal allocation of the state be withheld by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) until the budgets were properly approved. One of the rulings also nullified the October 5, 2025 local council elections.
Reacting, the governor ordered the council chairmen to leave office in compliance with the rulings and hand over to the heads of local government administrations (HLGA), a directive that has been complied with.
The governor also promised to comply with other rulings as soon as he would have obtained and studied the CTCs.
The House of Assembly led by Amaewhule however gave the governor 48 hours ultimatum to submit the 2025 budget, thus triggering fears of a showdown.
The House also released notice of proceeding on 12 weeks recess from March 7, 2025, the day the governor wished to respond to the rulings of the apex court.
Observers said this might shut the governor off any chance of laying the budget on the floor of the House after 48 hours (Wednesday, March 5, 2025). Many said they perceived impeachment motives in the strategies of the Amaewhule-led RSHA.
Now, insiders in the Rivers State government say the governor was right to want to see the CTCs before taking further actions on the rulings of the Supreme Court.
One of the governor’s aides who chose anonymity pointed to the many versions now in the social media where some have said that apex court also banned the government from accessing the internally generated revenue (IGR).
Read also: Rivers Assembly rejects Fubara’s commissioners, gives 48 hours ultimatum for fresh nominees
Others say the order nullifying the LGA elections of October 5, 2025, empowered the 2024 outgone chairmen (called the Nyesom Wike boys) to return, while others argued that it was right for the 2015 chairmen known as the Rotimi Amaechi boys sacked by Wike to return to power as ruled same February 28, 2025 by the Court of Appeal.
Yet, some others said the Supreme Court did not say Amaewhule should be the one to receive the budget but ‘the properly constituted House of Assembly’.
A version now in the social media says the Supreme Court has made useless the case at the federal high court on whether Amaewhule and his group of 27 defected lawmakers were still members of the RSHA. The note in circulation said the Supreme Court specifically confirmed that Amaewhule was the authentic speaker because the RSHA was blocked from sitting by the 8th cross appellant (Gov Fubara) and so the House could not be said to be sitting let alone for any member to lose his seat.
The source said many versions of the Supreme Court judgments are now in the public domain, requiring the certified true copies to come out so parties can read and take a proper path of action.
Chris Finebone, a former commissioner of information under Wike, agreed with those asking for full CTC before commenting or complying. He said: “While Nigerians can make comments on judgments of courts as soon as they are delivered, litigants to important judgments/rulings such as we have here, it is only trite to have access to the certified true copies to avoid derailing in your response. Such derailment could be legally fatal. It is right for the governor and his team to avoid acting on hearsay or press reports.
“The CTC is expected to come out on March 7, 2025, being Friday.”
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