Pro-Wike and pro-Fubara assembly members lock horns over Fubara’s spending powers as the seven-day ultimatum issued to the governor to re-present the 2024 budget expires
The Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo, has vehemently condemned a resolution passed by a faction led by Martin Amaewhule, which bars Governor Siminalayi Fubara from accessing public funds.
In a heated plenary session on Tuesday, Speaker Oko-Jumbo criticized the actions of Amaewhule and 24 others, whom he described as former members of the Assembly. He argued that their decision to prevent the governor from spending public funds was both unfounded and lacked any legal or moral basis.
“These individuals, having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023, are no longer recognized as members of this Assembly,” Oko-Jumbo asserted. He pointed out that the constitution’s section on defection is self-executing, a fact reinforced by a court decision that validated Edison Ehie’s prior declaration of the 25 seats as vacant.
ALSO READ: Pro-Wike Rivers Assembly hands Fubara 7-Day ultimatum to re-present 2024 budget
Oko-Jumbo emphasized that the legally recognized Assembly, now under his leadership, manages the statutory allocation of the house. He assured the public that Governor Fubara had appropriately presented the appropriation bill, which was passed and signed into law during Ehie’s tenure as Speaker. The Assembly, he added, is currently awaiting the presentation of the medium-term expenditure framework for the 2025 fiscal year.
The Speaker also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly conduct bye-elections to fill the 25 vacant seats, dismissing the Amaewhule-led pronouncement as invalid.
Amaewhule’s Countermove
On the other side of the divide, the faction led by Martin Amaewhule has taken a strong stance against Governor Fubara. On Monday, the pro-Wike Led assembly barred governor Fubara from further spending from government accounts, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the governor to re-present the 2024 budget.
The ultimatum, issued on July 8, stemmed from a motion by Dumle Maol, Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary and Deputy Speaker of the pro-Wike Assembly. Maol’s motion was based on a recent court ruling that confirmed their membership and validated Amaewhule’s leadership. The Assembly voted to shut down the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account, effectively halting any state spending by Governor Fubara’s administration.
This faction’s decision followed the initial presentation of the budget by Governor Fubara to a different set of lawmakers loyal to him, led by then-Speaker Edison Ehie, who now serves as the governor’s chief of staff. The budget estimates were passed and subsequently signed into law by Governor Fubara.
