Rivers Assembly Gives Fubara 48-Hour Ultimatum To Re-Present 2025 Budget

MONDAY March 3, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
www.thenewsdesk.ng

The Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Siminalayi Fubara 48 hours to re-present the 2025 budget in line with constitutional provisions.

The directive followed a motion moved by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol during Monday’s plenary session, presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule in Port Harcourt.

On December 30, 2024, Governor Fubara presented a budget proposal of ₦1.18 trillion to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led faction of the Assembly.

The governor described the budget, tagged the Budget of Inclusive Growth and Development, as a roadmap for consolidating his administration’s 2024 achievements and ensuring sustainable development.

However, in a resolution signed by Amaewhule, the lawmakers insisted that Fubara must re-present the budget in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The statement read, “Pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in Suit No.: SC/CV/1174/2024, which halted statutory federal allocations to the Rivers State Government and suspended spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund pending the passage of an Appropriation Bill, you are requested to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House within 48 hours.”

Monday’s plenary came just days after the Supreme Court ruled that Amaewhule and other lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, remained members of the Rivers Assembly until a final decision on their status is reached.

The court also ordered the Amaewhule-led Assembly to resume legislative activities without interference.

TheNewsDESK recalls that the apex court had upheld an earlier judgment by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, which nullified the passage of the Rivers State 2024 Budget by a four-member Assembly and restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation from disbursing statutory allocations to the state.

Governor Fubara had presented the 2024 budget to the pro-Fubara Assembly faction when his current Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, served as Speaker.

The budget was passed and signed into law despite objections from the Amaewhule-led lawmakers, who had also previously asked the governor to re-present the 2024 budget.

However, during Monday’s plenary, the lawmakers remained silent on the 2024 budget and focused solely on the 2025 Appropriation Bill.