The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, instructing him to re-present the 2025 budget for legislative consideration, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling.
The resolution was passed during a plenary session in Port Harcourt, following a motion moved by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol.
The lawmakers stressed that their directive aligns with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Suit No. SC/CV/1174/2024, which ordered the suspension of statutory federal allocations to the Rivers State Government and prohibited expenditure from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund until an Appropriation Bill is duly passed by the Assembly.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule reaffirmed the urgency of the matter, stating: “The House expects you to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill within 48 hours.”
During the session, the Assembly also strongly condemned Governor Fubara’s directive instructing Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to assume control of the local councils. The lawmakers argued that such an order directly contravenes the Supreme Court’s decision and is, therefore, unlawful.
The Assembly drew attention to the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law, which explicitly bar non-elected officials from administering local government councils.
The lawmakers resolved to proceed on recess by Friday, citing their continuous work over the past two years. Notably, the 2024 budget was not discussed during the plenary, despite Governor Fubara having signed the ¦ 1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law in January.
The House’s demand for the re-presentation of the budget follows the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which brought an end to months of leadership disputes within the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Furthermore, the court had directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to withhold federal allocations to the state until the Assembly’s leadership crisis was fully resolved.
