Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana has praised the Court of Appeal’s landmark judgment concerning Rivers State’s revenue allocation.
The Court of Appeal, in a ruling, set aside previous orders that had restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing funds to the Rivers State government.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Falana elaborated on the judicial decision’s profound constitutional implications.
“The decision of the Court of Appeal which validated the local government election conducted by the Rivers State Electoral Commission and the judgement delivered today which has set aside the decision that the statutory allocation of Rivers State be seized; these two decisions are in line with the tenets of federalism outlined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Falana stated.
The three-member appellate panel, presided over by Justice Hamman Barka, comprehensively examined the legal challenge.
The court determined that the subject matter was not within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court concerning the state’s revenue.
Falana emphasized the critical constitutional principle at stake, explaining, “The Court of Appeal is saying that the fact that you joined federal agencies or federal officers to a case that has to do with the revenue or local government election, or internal affairs of a state government cannot confer jurisdiction on the Federal High Court.”
The appellate court specifically set aside all orders previously made by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, declaring her restrictions on Rivers State’s consolidated revenue fund as unconstitutional.
The panel conclusively held that the lower court had overreached its jurisdictional boundaries.
As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Falana asserted that such cases should be addressed by the State High Court, not the Federal High Court.
He expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal’s decisions would significantly reinforce the fundamental principles of federalism in Nigeria.
“I am convinced that both decisions delivered by the Court of Appeal will go a long way to reinforce the basic tenets of federalism in this country,” Falana affirmed.
