Uncertainty has returned to the political landscape in Rivers State, as the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly’s seven-day ultimatum for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to resubmit the 2024 budget expires this week.
The ultimatum, issued on July 8, will expire on Monday if weekends are included, or Wednesday if they are not.
The Assembly’s order followed a move by Dumle Maol, Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary.
Maol, who also serves as Deputy Speaker of the Pro-Nyesom Wike Assembly, encouraged the House to formally inform the governor to propose the budget in view of a recent court verdict , which they believe validated their membership and Amaewhule’s leadership.
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.
Previously, Governor Fubara had submitted the ₦800bn budget to the Assembly led by Edison Ehie who now serves as the Governor’s Chief of Staff.
Victor Oko-Jumbo now leads the faction of the Assembly.
The budget, which was passed and signed into law, is still being implemented, suggesting that the peace agreement has faltered.
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 crisis in Rivers State, which began about eight months ago, has continued to evolve.
It started with a fire at the State House of Assembly in October, followed by an attempted impeachment of Fubara, massive resignations from the executive cabinet, and unrest over local government administration. This phase culminated in a failed attack on the Presidential Hotel.
With the deadline for the 2024 budget presentation set for this week, the political climate in the state appears tense, as the state assembly and the governor navigate the ongoing crisis.
Meanwhile, Chijioke Ihunwo, a pro-Fubara politician from the same community as Amaewhule, has dismissed the seven-day ultimatum on the governor as laughable.
Ihunwo, who was appointed by the governor as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, urged Amaewhule to accept his fate as a former assembly member, after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He encouraged the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality, comprising Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, and Emohua Local Government Areas, to continue supporting the Governor under the leadership of former Senator John Azuta-Mbata.
