The Abia State Government has issued a formal clarification addressing what it describes as misleading claims circulating in the media regarding the arbitral ruling on the Enyimba Economic City Project.
In a press statement released by the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the government said certain reports attributed to the promoters of the project misrepresented the outcome and legal implications of the arbitral decision delivered on February 13, 2026. According to the statement, the publication suggested that the tribunal ruled entirely in favor of the promoters and that the government had acted unlawfully in relation to the project. However, the Ministry of Justice maintained that this interpretation does not accurately reflect the findings of the tribunal’s majority decision, which remains the legally binding outcome of the arbitration proceedings.
The government further criticized attempts to give equal legal weight to the dissenting opinion issued by one member of the tribunal. It explained that within arbitration practice, the majority ruling is the operative decision that carries legal force. While dissenting opinions are allowed as expressions of individual arbitrators’ perspectives, they do not override or replace the conclusions reached by the majority of the tribunal.
Another key point raised by the government concerns the financial component of the ruling. The tribunal, according to the statement, ordered the refund of ₦400 million previously paid by the state government in relation to the share capital structure of the project company. The tribunal’s decision relied on the legal principle known as the “Resulting Trust Theory,” which recognizes that the funds remained beneficially attributable to the government and should therefore be returned. The Ministry argued that this aspect of the ruling was largely omitted in reports circulated by the project promoters.
The government also rejected claims that the tribunal categorically ruled that it lacks the authority to withdraw the Certificate of Occupancy linked to the project. Officials clarified that the tribunal’s analysis was limited to the contractual issues presented before it and should not be interpreted as a broad restriction on the statutory powers of government authorities.
According to the Ministry of Justice, selectively highlighting certain portions of the ruling while ignoring others creates a misleading picture of the tribunal’s decision. The state government therefore urged the public and media organizations to rely on the full and accurate contents of the majority award rather than partial interpretations.
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Reaffirming its position, the Abia State Ministry of Justice emphasized that the majority award remains the authoritative decision of the tribunal. The government added that it remains open to constructive engagement with stakeholders while ensuring that public discussions surrounding the project are guided by facts, transparency, and respect for the official record.