You have 7 days to re-present 2024 budget, Pro-Wike Rivers Assembly tell Fubara

Governor Siminialayi Fubara has been given a seven-day ultimatum by the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, to resubmit the 2024 budget to the House.

The state assembly’s faction supporting Chief Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, made a stand on Monday at its reconvened session in an undisclosed venue in Port Harcourt.

In a ruling last week, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the Rivers State High Court’s injunction prohibiting Amaewhule and 24 other legislators from posing as lawmakers and taking seats in the legislature.

It also would be recalled that Fubara had presented an appropriation bill of about N800 billion for the 2024 Fiscal year to the House loyal to him, then led by Edison Ehie as Speaker, before his resignation to be appointed as Chief of Staff to the governor.

Ehie and others loyal to Fubara had deliberated on the bill, passed the budget, and was subsequently signed into law by the governor

But, President Bola Tinubu during an intervention into the crisis rocking the state and in an eight-point resolution, directed the governor to re-present the already passed 2024 budget of the state to the Amaewhule’s led assembly.

However, on Monday, Amaewhule, who presided over the plenary issued the ultimatum following a resolution of the House during Monday’s plenary.

This came following a motion by the House Committee Chairman, Dumped Mao, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the assembly.

Amaewhule had put the motion to vote, leading to the resolution agreed by the members present at the resumed sitting.

The lawmakers also resolved to communicate their decision to Governor Fubara through a letter.

Meanwhile, the Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo-led assembly loyal to Governor Fubara held a parallel sitting wherein a Commissioner nominee was screened and confirmed for possible swearing.