Pro-Wike Rivers Assembly hands Fubara 7-day ultimatum to re-present 2024 budget

The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, has handed a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Siminialayi Fubara, to re-present the 2024 budget to the House.

The faction of the state assembly loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, took the stand at its resumed sitting in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Port Harcourt, on Monday.

A Court of Appeal in Abuja had, in a judgement last week, nullified the order of Rivers State High Court which stopped Amaewhule and 24 other legislators from parading themselves as lawmakers and sitting as legislators.

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