The Rivers State House of Assembly, chaired by Martin Amaewhule, has suspended all expenditures by Governor Siminalayi Fubara until he presents his budget to the members.
The move came during plenary on Monday, after MPs handed the governor a seven-day deadline to present his budget to the House.
Major Jack, the House Leader, moved to advise the House that the governor’s seven-day deadline to bring the 2024 budget to the House had expired.
After consideration, the House voted to close the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account, preventing Fubara’s administration from spending any funds on behalf of the state.
Chronicle NG reported that the Amaewhule-led Assembly had given Fubara on July 8 a seven-day deadline to resubmit the 2024 budget and also accused him of breaching the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
In a letter dated July 8, 2024, signed by Amaewhule and delivered to Fubara on Monday, the House criticised the governor’s constitutional violations.
This order was issued at the first session of the pro-Wike House after a months-long hiatus.
The Rivers State governor had earlier presented the budget to the faction, and Edison Ehie, his current Chief of Staff, presided as Speaker.
Ehie and other pro-Fubara lawmakers approved the budget estimates, which the governor then signed into law.
The ongoing political crisis between the governor’s followers and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, has been marked by multiple interventions to resolve their disputes.
