Political Drama Unfolds in Rivers State as Budget Ultimatum Deadline Looms
Rivers State, Nigeria – The political landscape in Rivers State remains tense as the 7-day ultimatum issued by the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to resubmit the 2024 budget reaches its deadline this week.
The ultimatum came after the first sitting of the pro-Wike House on Monday, following a prolonged hiatus. Governor Fubara had previously presented the budget to the House loyal to him, with his current Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, presiding as Speaker. Ehie and the pro-Fubara lawmakers passed the budget estimates, and the governor subsequently signed the bill into law.
The re-presentation of the budget was a key element of the presidential peace pact in December, aimed at resolving the political crisis in the South-South state. However, Governor Fubara had already submitted the ₦800 billion budget to the Assembly led by Edison Ehie, who now serves as the Governor’s Chief of Staff. Last week, Governor Fubara announced that his administration is already preparing the 2025 budget, indicating that the demand for the re-presentation of the 2024 budget is unrealistic.
The political crisis in Rivers State has been marked by repeated interventions to settle differences between Governor Fubara’s loyalists and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. In October 2023, 27 pro-Wike lawmakers attempted to impeach Governor Fubara, but he successfully fought off the challenge. In May 2023, the state High Court issued an interlocutory injunction barring Amaewhule and other 26 lawmakers from sitting or parading as members of the state House of Assembly. Also in May, a similar order prohibited the governor, state Attorney-General, and Chief Judge from interacting with the disputed lawmakers.
A three-man panel led by Justice Jimi Olukayode-Bada later overturned the state High Court’s decision that had barred the pro-Wike lawmakers from accessing the Assembly. The panel upheld the appeal by the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers, who had been excluded based on their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
As the deadline for the 2024 budget presentation set for this week approaches, the political climate in the state appears tense, as the assembly and the governor navigate the ongoing crisis. Meanwhile, a pro-Fubara politician from the same community as Amaewhule, Chijioke Ihunwo, has dismissed the 7-day ultimatum on the governor as laughable.
The ongoing political drama in Rivers State continues to grip the attention of the public, as the state awaits the resolution of the budget ultimatum and the potential implications for governance and political stability.
