The Court of Appeal has barred the Kogi State Government from taking its salary dispute with former Deputy Governor Simon Achuba to the Supreme Court.
The apex court declared that its decision remained final under the Nigerian Constitution.
According to a Premium Times report, a three-member panel of justices comprising Hamma Barka, Okon Abang, and Oyejoju Oyewumi, in a ruling on Tuesday, dismissed an application filed by the state Governor Usman Ododo and the state’s Attorney-General, Muizudeen Abdullahi, which sought to halt the execution of earlier judgments delivered in favour of Achuba.
The state government, represented by Adebayo Adedeji, a senior advocate, along with Precious Andrew, E.C. Onyekwere, and A. Ibe, faced opposition from Achuba’s counsel, Samuel Ogola.
Delivering the lead ruling, the judge, Abang, cited Section 243(4) of the Constitution, which, according to him, confers final authority on the Court of Appeal in labour and employment disputes.
“When the law says the decision of this court is final, there is nothing the applicants can do. It is as clear as daylight,” he ruled, describing the appeal as reckless, baseless, and an act of executive lawlessness.
Achuba, who served as deputy governor under the state’s immediate past governor Yahaya Bello, was controversially impeached in 2019 after a fallout with the former governor.
He subsequently dragged the state government before the National Industrial Court (NICN), demanding unpaid salaries, allowances, and entitlements.
In November 2020, the NICN ruled in his favour, awarding him N180 million in benefits, with an order that the sum be paid within 30 days or attract a 30 per cent monthly interest.
The state appealed, but on April 29, 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld Achuba’s claims, directing that he be paid salaries and statutory allocations listed in the 2017 and 2018 budgets, excluding security votes.
The matter escalated further in April 2025 when the Court of Appeal reassessed his entitlements, pegging them at over N1.07 billion, alongside an additional N2 million in costs.
The state government, however, rejected the figure. Its lawyer, O. Adegboyega, maintained that the NICN originally awarded only N180 million, which the state claimed to have settled.
“The state is committed to due process and the rule of law,” he argued, adding that “it is important to clarify how the figure jumped from N180 million to over N1 billion, since the trial court never awarded that sum.”
The state government further insisted that only the Supreme Court could resolve what it described as a “judicial inconsistency.”
In its latest ruling, the appellate court dismissed that position, stressing that its word on NICN-related disputes was final.
Abang cautioned that treating court orders with disregard undermined citizens’ confidence in the judiciary.
