The Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Martin Amaewhule, has taken a decisive step by halting all expenditures of Governor Siminalayi Fubara until he presents his 2024 budget for legislative approval.
This decision was reached during a plenary session on Monday, which followed a seven-day ultimatum issued to Governor Fubara to present the 2024 budget before the House. The ultimatum was a reaction to what the lawmakers described as Fubara’s failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The Leader of the House, Major Jack, introduced the motion notifying the assembly that the deadline for the governor to submit the budget had lapsed. Following this, the House voted to shut down the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account, effectively freezing all state expenditures until Fubara complies with their demand.
PUNCH Online reported that on July 8, 2024, the Amaewhule-led Assembly had formally communicated to Governor Fubara a seven-day deadline to resubmit the 2024 budget. The Assembly accused Fubara of violating the 1999 Constitution (as amended) through his handling of the budget process.
In a letter dated July 8, 2024, signed by Martin Amaewhule, the Assembly outlined specific constitutional breaches by the governor and formally issued the ultimatum. This action came during the first session of the pro-Wike House after a hiatus of several months.
Previously, Governor Fubara had presented the budget to a faction aligned with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, with his then-Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, presiding as Speaker. The pro-Fubara faction, led by Ehie, had approved the budget estimates, which Fubara subsequently signed into law.
