Federal High Court Dismisses Bid to Halt NASS Approval of Rivers 2025 Budget Under Administrator.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an application seeking to restrain the National Assembly from further legislative actions concerning Rivers State, specifically the approval of its 2025 budget. The ruling, delivered yesterday, Friday, July 18, 2025, by Justice James Omotosho, stated that the court could not grant the plaintiffs' request because the primary action they sought to prevent – the passage of the budget – had already been completed by the Senate. This decision reinforces the legislative powers assumed by the National Assembly following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the state legislature. This extraordinary measure was taken to address escalating political and security challenges that had paralyzed governance in the oil-rich state. Following this proclamation, the National Assembly, in line with constitutional provisions for such emergencies, took over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
During this period, the Senate, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, proceeded to approve the state's 2025 budget on June 25, among other legislative duties. The plaintiffs, a group of concerned indigenes of Rivers State, had approached the court arguing that the emergency proclamation and subsequent legislative actions lacked constitutional backing. They sought an interim injunction to prevent further interference and approval of the state's budget and appointments by the National Assembly.
Justice Omotosho, in his ruling, noted that since the budget had already been passed, the court could not invalidate a completed act on an interlocutory application. He further indicated that some of the broader constitutional issues raised by the plaintiffs would be best addressed during the substantive hearing of the main suit. This judgment, while a procedural victory for the National Assembly, signals that the legal challenges surrounding the Rivers State emergency rule are far from over, as the substantive suit will delve deeper into the legality of the federal intervention.
I'm Adedayo Obadina
Talksocialtalks
