Rivers State lawmakers loyal to former governor and FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has suspended all expenditures by Governor Siminalayi Fubara until he presents his budget to the lawmakers.
This decision was made during a plenary session on Monday, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the governor to present his budget for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Leader of the House, Major Jack, raised a motion informing the assembly of the expired deadline, prompting deliberations.
After discussions, the assembly voted to shut down the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account, effectively preventing the Fubara administration from accessing state funds.
In a previous report by Chronicle NG, the Amaewhule-led assembly had on July 8 given Governor Fubara a seven-day deadline to resubmit the 2024 budget. The assembly also accused him of violating provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
In a letter dated July 8, 2024, and signed by Speaker Amaewhule, the House outlined the constitutional breaches committed by the governor. This action took place during the first session of the pro-Wike House after a hiatus of several months.
Governor Fubara had initially presented the budget to a faction of the House, with his current Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, presiding as Speaker.
The pro-Fubara lawmakers passed the budget estimates, which the governor subsequently signed into law.
The ongoing political conflict between Governor Fubara’s loyalists and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, continues to prompt interventions aimed at resolving their differences.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
