FG Considering Release of Withheld Funds to Rivers Administrator – AGF
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has stated that the Federal Government would be acting within its rights if it decides to release the previously blocked monthly allocations to the newly appointed Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
Speaking to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, Fagbemi explained that an extraordinary situation had arisen in the oil-rich state, which might necessitate the reversal of the initial decision to withhold funds.
“An extraordinary situation has emerged in Rivers State. When the administrator assumes office, he may request these funds, and in my opinion, it would be appropriate to release them. This is because the extraordinary situation has placed the state outside the usual course of governance,” he said.
On 28 February 2025, the Supreme Court barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other government agencies from releasing funds to the administration of then-Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing flagrant disobedience of court orders.
However, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months. Tinubu justified his decision under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, stating that he could not allow the political crisis in Rivers State to escalate unchecked.
The suspension of the democratically elected officials has been widely condemned by notable Nigerians, legal experts, and political groups, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF). However, the decision has received the backing of the pro-Nyesom Wike faction of the suspended Rivers Assembly, which accused Fubara of disregarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on the state’s political crisis.
