● Tonye Okurumo
The Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Siminalayi Fubara a 48-hour deadline to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill. The lawmakers made their stance clear during a plenary session in Port Harcourt on Monday, following a motion moved by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol.
“That pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in Suit no.: SC/CV/1174/2024 for the stoppage of Statutory Federal allocations to the Rivers State Government and halting of spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State pending the passage of an Appropriation Bill, you are requested to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended,” the lawmakers said in a resolution signed by Speaker Martin Amaewhule. “That the House expects you to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill within 48 hours.”
Speaker Amaewhule also criticized Governor Fubara’s directive instructing the Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to take control of local councils, describing it as unlawful and contrary to the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The lawmakers referenced “the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended; the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law, 2023 as well as the Judgment of the Supreme Court in Suit No.: SC/CV/343/2024 that prohibits the administration of Local Governments by HLGAs or any other persons other than democratically elected officials.”
Meanwhile, the House announced plans to go on recess by Friday, citing the fact that they had been working continuously for two years.
Notably, there was no discussion of the 2024 budget during the session.
Governor Fubara had previously signed a ₦1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2, after presenting it to lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. However, in a major legal shift, the Supreme Court ruled last Friday that Martin Amaewhule and his group were the legitimate members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, ending months of leadership disputes within the legislative body.
In their first session after the ruling, the Assembly asked Fubara to re-present the same budget he had termed the “Budget of Inclusive Growth and Development,” adding another twist to the ongoing political drama in the oil-rich state.
Beyond recognizing Amaewhule’s group, the Supreme Court also ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to withhold federal allocations to Rivers State until the government complies with its rulings. Additionally, the court nullified last year’s local government elections in the state.
Following the judgment, Fubara announced plans for fresh council elections, pledging to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Furthermore, given the outlawing of caretaker arrangements in the local government system, I hereby direct the Heads of Local Government Administration to immediately take over the administration of the 23 local government councils pending the conduct of fresh elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission,” the governor said in a state broadcast on Sunday.
He also instructed “outgoing local government chairmen to formally hand over the levers of power to the Heads of Local Government Administration by Monday, 3rd March 2025.” GMTNewsng