Judge Refuses to Withdraw from Suit Seeking to Stop Allocations to Rivers LGAs

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a motion to withdraw from a case challenging the allocation of funds to local governments in Rivers State. The suit, filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and its factional Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, seeks to halt funding intended for the local government areas.

The case was brought forth by Joseph Daudu, SAN, on behalf of the plaintiffs. In a recent court session, the Accountant General of Rivers State raised allegations of bias against Justice Abdulmalik, arguing that her prior rulings were prejudiced against the state government and the other defendants. Represented by Tuturu Edem, SAN, the Accountant General criticized the judge’s handling of the case as “strange and unbelievable,” a stance supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other defendants.

In her response, Justice Abdulmalik firmly denied the allegations of bias, stating, “I will not recuse myself,” and emphasized that her prior rulings were based on the merits of the case. The judge also rejected requests to transfer the proceedings to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, asserting that the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction is consistent across the nation.

She affirmed that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has the authority to assign cases as deemed appropriate. Following her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that hearings on both the main suit and preliminary objections continue as scheduled.