The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, has decided to postpone the hearing pertaining to the case seeking to prevent the Rivers State Government from withholding the financial allocations of the 42 Local Government Councils in the state. The new date for the session is scheduled for May 22.
To ensure all parties have adequate time to respond to the court’s documents, the judge adjourned the case. Furthermore, he instructed that the 1st to 4th and 6th respondents, who were not present in court or represented by legal counsel, be served with the necessary paperwork.
It was previously mentioned that in a prior ruling on an ex-parte application, Justice Omotosho declined to issue an interim order against the Rivers State government and other respondents until the main suit is heard.
The judge urged all involved parties to maintain the current state of affairs and avoid actions that could jeopardize the integrity of the lawsuit.
During the proceedings, the 1st to 4th and 6th respondents did not appear, while legal representatives for the 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th respondents acknowledged receipt of the court order to uphold the status quo and requested additional time to provide their responses within the legal timeframe.
Justice Omotosho reminded the respondents that he had opted not to grant the interim order initially. However, after hearing arguments concerning the impact on salaries and essential services, he directed all parties to maintain the status quo until a final decision is reached on the matter.
Following the judge’s instructions, the respondents were instructed to submit their responses, and the outstanding respondents are to be served with the lawsuit.
The named respondents in the case are the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Commissioner of Police (CP) Rivers, Director General (DG) State Security Service (SSS), Director SSS Rivers, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Chairman Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Rivers State Government, AG Rivers State, and the Finance Commissioner in Rivers State.
The plaintiffs in this case include Dr. Chidi LLoyd, Chairman of Emohua Local Government, Hon Alwell Ihunda Chairman of Port Harcourt Local Government, Dr. Nwanosike Samuel from Ikwerre Local Government, among others.
They have taken legal action against the respondents concerning financial allocations to the council and their personal security provisions.
Pending the final judgment on their motion for an interlocutory injunction, the plaintiffs had filed an ex-parte application seeking to prevent the Rivers State Government from withholding their financial allocation and security services.
The legal representative for the local government Chairmen, Aliyu Hussein, filed the lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/537/2024.
In an affidavit supporting their application, Dr. Chidi LLoyd, Chairman of Emohua Local Government, asserted that the local government Chairmen are duly elected officials operating within the framework of the Rivers State Local Government Law.
They contended that the actions of the Rivers State Government and other defendants aim to impede the implementation of the amended Rivers State Local Government Law N:5 of 2024.
The Chairmen expressed concerns about the interference from state authorities and their impact on the delivery of essential services within their jurisdictions, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law in the state.