By Mark Lenu
The International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights has backed the decision of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State to present the 2025 budget to the Victor Jumbo led House of Assembly.
Recall that a federal high court in Abuja had nullified the 2024 budget on the grounds that the governor presented the appropriation bill before the Victor Jumbo led lawmakers as the court also validated the membership of Martin Amaewhule and other defected lawmakers.
The Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Dr. Omenazu Jackson, told our correspondent that Fubara has the constitutional right to present the 2025 budget to the Victor Jumbo-led Assembly.
He said: “As long as we are concerned, the moment Amaewhule and the 26 lawmakers defected from PDP to APC, they have lost their seats. We should discourage political rascality in the country in favor of political and democratic principles.
“The only valid agreement between the electors and the electorate is the manifesto of the party because the people didn’t vote candidate, they voted for the program of the party called a manifesto.
“The moment you jettison the manifesto upon which the people elected you by defecting to another party, it means you have found favor in another manifesto and you have to honorably leave your seat.
“The diligent thing to do is to go back to the people and seek a fresh mandate via rerun election. Standing on the first manifesto after defecting to another party is undemocratic and unlawful.
“So, the governor has every constitutional right to present the 2025
appropriation bill to the legitimate members of the House led by Victor Jumbo.”
The group also faulted the ruling of the federal high court that declared the defected lawmakers as valid members of the state Assembly, adding that the ruling was not in the best interest of justice.
