The Federal High Court in Abuja has denied the Rivers State Government's request to stay proceedings in a case aimed at stopping the allocation of funds to Local Government Areas (LGAs) within the state. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling on Friday, described the application by the Rivers State Government's lawyer, Gordy Uche (SAN), as “frivolous, vexatious, unwarranted, and mischievous.”
The ruling occurred during proceedings for the case marked *CA/ABJ/CV/1197/2024*, filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and Hon. Martin Amaewhule. The plaintiffs seek a directive for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt financial allocations to LGAs in Rivers State, citing concerns over fund distribution and utilization.
The Rivers State Government’s legal team had requested a stay, arguing that they were challenging the court's jurisdiction at the Court of Appeal. However, the Federal High Court proceeded with the case, dismissing the jurisdictional challenge as grounds to delay the suit.
