The Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Siminalayi Fubara 48 hours to present the 2025 budget to the legislature. This demand was made during a plenary session in Port Harcourt on Monday, with Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol moving the motion.
The motion, passed by the lawmakers, was based on the Supreme Court’s order in Suit No.: SC/CV/1174/2024, which stopped statutory federal allocations to the Rivers State Government and halted spending from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund until an Appropriation Bill was passed. The lawmakers resolved that Fubara must present the 2025 Appropriation Bill in compliance with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, within 48 hours.
In his remarks, Speaker Martin Amaewhule condemned Governor Fubara’s directive to the heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to oversee the councils, calling it illegal and in violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling. The lawmakers reminded the governor of the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law of 2023, and the Supreme Court judgment in Suit No.: SC/CV/343/2024, which prohibits anyone other than democratically elected officials from administering local governments.
The House also resolved to go into recess by Friday, citing the need for a break after two years of continuous work.
Governor Fubara had previously signed a ₦1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2, after presenting it to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led assembly. However, the Supreme Court later reinstated the Amaewhule-led legislature, ruling that the Central Bank of Nigeria should not release funds to the state government until the governor re-presents the budget to the new assembly.