The Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has taken decisive action against Governor Siminalayi Fubara by halting all state expenditures until he submits the 2024 budget. This action follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the governor.
The motion to cease expenditures was raised by House Leader Major Jack, who reminded the Assembly of the ultimatum’s expiration. This ultimatum demanded that Governor Fubara present the 2024 budget for the House’s consideration. After deliberations, the Assembly voted to suspend the state’s Consolidated Revenue Account, effectively blocking any financial activities by the governor.
This legislative move stems from a previous conflict where Fubara had presented a budget to a faction of lawmakers loyal to him, led by then-Speaker Edison Ehie. The budget was swiftly passed and signed into law. However, a subsequent reconciliation meeting, brokered by President Bola Tinubu, sought to resolve tensions between factions loyal to Fubara and those aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Part of the peace agreement required Fubara to re-present the budget to the House.
Following this agreement, the Amaewhule-led Assembly awaited the governor’s compliance. However, with no submission forthcoming, the Assembly enforced the shutdown of expenditures. They also resolved to inform federal authorities, banks, and donor agencies of the halt in transactions with the Rivers State government until the budget issue is resolved.
In their session, the Assembly criticized Governor Fubara for violating constitutional provisions by spending from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund without an appropriation law. Speaker Amaewhule emphasized that the House would not tolerate the governor’s disregard for the Constitution.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a response from the state’s Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, were unsuccessful.
In a related development, the Rivers State group G-23 has urged federal lawmaker Ikenga Ugochinyere to refrain from interfering in the state’s politics, accusing him and Zenith Labour Party Chairman Dan Nwanyanwu of exacerbating the political crisis. G-23’s leader, Chief Tony Okocha, criticized Ugochinyere for focusing on Rivers State issues instead of addressing the problems within his own constituency.
Following the decision of the assembly led by Martin Amaewhule, the National Vanguard for Rule of Law, in a statement signed by Comrade Johnson Babatunde on Monday, countered this decision.
According to Babatunde, Amaewhule and 24 others had their seats declared vacant on December 13, 2023, after they left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We read a report in the media, credited to former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by the former Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, wherein the former lawmakers passed a resolution shutting down all expenditures of the state government, pending when His Excellency Governor Siminalayi Fubara re-presents the 2024 budget estimates of the State before them,” the statement said.
“We view the action of the former lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, as illegal, null, and void.
“For the records, Governor Fubara had in December 2023 signed the budget of N800 billion into law after presenting it before lawmakers led by the former speaker, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, who passed it into law.
“We use this opportunity to remind Amaewhule and 24 others that their seats were declared vacant on December 13, 2023, after they dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“They remain former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and not current members. How then do they expect Governor Fubara to present the 2024 budget of Rivers State before them?
“We use this opportunity to remind the courts that Amaewhule and his group are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Therefore, any attempt to secure an injunction to deny Governor Fubara access to the consolidated revenue fund of the state, or deny ministries, departments, and agencies in Rivers State access to their accounts to implement the 2024 budget, should be denied or thrown out by the courts.
“The banks too must be aware of the current status of the former lawmakers and not deal with them as current members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“We have observed that the enemies of Rivers State have decided to target the Rivers State Government budget and accounts in their bid to scuttle the strides recorded by Governor Fubara in the course of implementing the 2024 budget.
“Recall that immediately after signing the 2024 budget into law, Governor Fubara flagged off the Trans-Kalabari road project phase 2 as well as the Elele-Omoku Road project that cuts through Ikwerre, Emohua, and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Areas of the state, and many other laudable projects.
“These achievements have unsettled the pro-Wike camp, and they have decided to attack the finances of the state to slow down the provision of dividends of democracy to Rivers people.
“We call on the good people of Rivers State and Nigerians to ensure the former Rivers lawmakers don’t succeed in their evil against Rivers State.”
