The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule and loyal to former governor and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of obstructing the implementation of the Supreme Court’s directive to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to lawmakers.
On Sunday, the Martin Amaewhule-led House, which is loyal to former governor and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, made the claim through its chairman, House Committee on Information, and spokesperson, Dr Enemi George, in Port Harcourt, the state’s capital.
George asked the people to put pressure on the governor to follow due process when introducing the 2025 Appropriation Bill, rather than aiming to elicit public sympathy by portraying lawmakers as hurdles.
He challenged the governor to show an acknowledged copy of the letter he claimed to have submitted to the House.
He said, “Last week, we were told that on his way to Ogoni for a programme, the governor made a stopover at the gate of the House of Assembly Quarters to grant an interview to the press.
“In that interview, he claimed that he had sent a letter to the House of Assembly indicating his intention to visit and present the appropriation bill, a claim we found rather astonishing as no such letter was received by the House of Assembly.
“His aides later alleged that they forwarded a letter through WhatsApp to some members of the House, which was also awkward, unprofessional and embarrassing.”
George added, “As I speak, the social media space is awash with stories about a purported letter from the governor to the House of Assembly expressing his intention to visit the house to present the appropriation bill for the year 2025.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth. We want to state categorically that there is no such letter before the House of Assembly nor any of its staff.
“We challenge the governor and his aides to produce an acknowledgement copy of such a letter or any evidence that such a letter was sent or received by the House of Assembly. It is absolutely untrue and unfortunate. The general public must, as a matter of importance, ignore such a claim.
“It is now very obvious that if at all there was such a letter, the intended recipient was not the legislature, but the public, and the clear intention was to play to the gallery, whip up public sentiment, demonise the House of Assembly and set the public against us. This is demeaning, denigrating and perilously unfortunate.”
George went on to say that Fubara frustrated all of the House’s efforts to work with him to settle the lingering crisis following the Supreme Court decision, particularly in terms of presenting the Appropriation Bill in the best interests of the state.
George stated, “Recall after the recent Supreme Court judgement on the budget of our state, it became absolutely necessary for the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara, to present the appropriation bill to the legislature for consideration and passage.
“Also recall that immediately after the judgement, this house wrote to the governor, calling on him to immediately present the budget for speedy consideration.
“It was our hope that by the 15th of March, 2025, we would have concluded the process of passing the appropriation bill into law, so as to allow us enough time to approach the Federal Government to release funds meant for our state which have been seized by the judgement of the Supreme Court.
“This we did in the interest of our dear state and in pursuit of peace, recognising that no government can function optimally without a harmonious coexistence between the executive and the legislature.”
According to George, House staff members who attempted to deliver the letter to the Government House were beaten and sent away.
The lawmakers then resorted to utilising a courier service, but they alleged that Fubara still did not answer.
He added, “The governor did not heed our call, nor did he demonstrate any intention to.
“Recall again that the judgement of the Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of most of the commissioners of the state. To bridge this gap and avoid a vacuum, this house immediately wrote to the governor to submit the list of commissioners for immediate screening.
“Our letter was again rejected at the government house, and we once again resorted to delivering the mail through a courier service. Rather than heed our call, the governor instructed them to go to court against us, which they have now done.
“The governor went further to instruct all ministries, agencies and departments of government not to receive any correspondence from the Rivers State House of Assembly nor communicate with us in any manner.”
George said the governor must be reminded that the House of Assembly is not an appendage of the executive and its members are not his slaves, bondservants and serfs.
“We are an independent arm of government in line with the principles of horizontal separation of powers as expressed in Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.
“It is in responding to the attitude that the Supreme Court said in its judgement,” George said.
He said the Assembly was the most affected in the ongoing crisis, regretting that the lawmakers had faced untold hardship, stressing that the governor must be stopped from extending such punishment to Rivers people.
George said, “This Assembly has borne the brunt of this crisis. We have endured immense hardship. We have been battered almost beyond our carrying capacity. We have been punished unduly and unfairly for trying to perform our constitutional duties.
“Our governor must not extend this punishment to Rivers people. No, please no. We must not allow it.
“We have seen hell: our hallowed chamber was burnt down by the governor. The House of Assembly Complex was brought down by the governor, totally demolished alongside our personal effects and belongings.
“Our speaker’s residence was brutally attacked. Our residential quarters were brutally invaded by the governor.”
He warned that the governor’s actions could negatively impact the livelihoods of Rivers people.
He stated, “Our allowances have been seized for about a year and six months. We still continue to suffer. Yet we have resolved to put all of these behind us in the interest of our state so that our state can move forward. We cannot afford to punish our people because of our ego and personal interests.
“We have our aged pensioners who must receive their pensions. We have our teachers in public schools who we depend on for our children to be educated; they must be paid their salaries.
“We have government hospitals and health centres, which our people depend on for discounted and affordable medical services.
“We have public schools which depend on public funds for their daily running. The governor is toying with the lives and livelihoods of Rivers people. Let us please all call on him to do the right thing in the interest of our dear state and its people.”
