The Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Sim Fubara a 48-hour ultimatum to present the 2025 budget to the lawmakers, setting the stage for a fresh political showdown in the state.
The directive was issued during the Assembly’s plenary session in Port Harcourt on Monday, marking the first major decision taken by the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers after the Supreme Court reinstated them as the legitimate members of the House.
Governor Fubara had previously signed the N1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2nd, after presenting it to the faction of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. However, the legislative crisis in Rivers State took a new turn last week when the Supreme Court ruled that the Assembly faction led by Amaewhule remains the duly constituted legislative body.
The ruling effectively nullified months of legislative actions taken by the Oko-Jumbo-led group and reignited tensions over budgetary control and governance in the state. In response, the reconstituted Assembly has now demanded that Fubara formally present the budget to them for consideration.
Supreme Court Intervention and Its Implications
On Friday, the Supreme Court’s verdict not only reinstated the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers but also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to withhold allocations to Rivers State until it complies with previous court orders.
- This decision has added financial pressure on the Fubara administration, compelling it to engage with the newly recognized Assembly to unlock much-needed funds.
- Additionally, the apex court nullified the local government elections conducted in Rivers State last year, a ruling that forced Governor Fubara to initiate fresh council polls.
Nairametrics previously reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja had 2024 issued an order barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from further disbursing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State government.
Governor Fubara’s Response
In compliance with the Supreme Court ruling, Governor Fubara announced plans for new local government elections and directed all Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to take over the councils pending fresh elections.
“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,” Fubara stated in a Sunday broadcast.
He further instructed the outgoing local government chairmen to hand over power to the HLGAs by Monday, March 3, 2025.
What you should know
The dispute surrounding the Rivers State government’s finances stems from a political crisis that erupted earlier in 2024, following Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s fallout with members of the state legislature.
- Tensions reached a peak when most of the Rivers House of Assembly members were reportedly impeached or suspended, leaving only four loyalists in the assembly.
- Despite the irregularity, Governor Fubara pressed forward, presenting and approving the state’s 2024 budget with the drastically reduced assembly, a move widely criticized as unconstitutional.
- In January, the Federal High Court in Abuja voided the N800 billion budget approved by a faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Edison Ehie and signed into law by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
- The court also ruled in favour of a suit filed by the Assembly and its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, which sought an injunction to prevent Governor Fubara from obstructing the Assembly’s functions under Amaewhule’s leadership, among other reliefs.
