Lawmakers allegedly barred Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, from accessing the House of Assembly on Wednesday to present the 2025 budget.
This development signals a deepening rift in the ongoing power struggle between the state’s executive and legislative branches.
Arise Television reports that Governor Fubara arrived at the state lawmakers’ temporary legislative quarters, located along the Port Harcourt and Aba expressway, to fulfill the Supreme Court’s mandate requiring him to formally present the 2025 budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
However, he was met with a locked gate, effectively preventing his entry.
Speaking at the scene, the governor expressed frustration, stating that he had formally communicated with Speaker Amaewhule through a letter and made several attempts to reach him and other lawmakers via phone calls the previous day but received no response.
Political showdown over budget control
This latest development comes on the heels of a 48-hour ultimatum issued to Fubara by the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, demanding that he present the budget before the legislative body.
On March 3, 2025, Nairametrics reported that the lawmakers, now recognized by the Supreme Court as the duly constituted Assembly, insisted that the governor must submit the 2025 fiscal plan for legislative scrutiny.
Governor Fubara had previously signed the N1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2, after presenting it to the faction of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. However, a Supreme Court ruling last week effectively nullified the legislative actions taken by the Oko-Jumbo-led faction, affirming the legitimacy of Amaewhule’s group.
President Tinubu sues for peace
President Bola Tinubu, while addressing political leaders from the South-south on Tuesday in Abuja, emphasised the critical need for adherence to the rule of law in Rivers State to ensure lasting peace and prosperity.
- During a meeting with representatives and leaders of the Niger Delta under the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), President Tinubu reiterated that respect for the judiciary is crucial in upholding democracy and fostering harmony.
- The president advised the leaders to be more broadminded, selfless and focused on the larger vision of salvaging the region, politically and economically, by insisting that the judiciary’s interpretations of the Constitution be respected.
- Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom State and co-chair of the PANDEF Board of Trustees, called for further intervention in the Rivers State crises.
Mr Attah, who also chairs the reconciliation committee set up by PANDEF in Rivers State, said the political crises in Rivers State threaten national stability and deserve more attention.
