Amid the ongoing demolition of the assembly complex by Governor Fubara’s administration, a five-member faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly headed by Edison Ehie and loyal to the embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, passed the 2024 budget proposal submitted by the Governor.
The State Executive Council had on Monday, approved the estimated budget of over N800 billion, tagged by the governor as the ‘Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation, and Continuity’ for the 2024 fiscal year.
The faction had moved the house plenary session to the Government House, Port Harcourt as a result of the ongoing demolition of the assembly complex by Governor Fubara’s administration.
It was learnt that the 27 members of the House loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and immediate governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, were absent during the plenary.
The House declared the seats of the absent 27 lawmakers vacant.
On Monday, 27 members of the House of Assembly said to be loyal to Wike defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers announced their defection at the plenary, citing division in their party – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – as the reason for the move.
The five lawmakers who sat at plenary on Wednesday received the state’s 2024 budget proposal submitted by Governor Fubara for their review.
The other faction of lawmakers loyal to Wike and led by Martin Amaewhule had initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara, but the move failed.
The crisis recently led to the burning of the State Assembly complex and factionalised the lawmakers into camps.
It was reported on Tuesday that the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice D.M. Danagogo, had restrained Martin Amaewhule, loyal to Wike, from interfering and disrupting the activities of Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker, Ehie, from carrying out his legislative functions.
The court issued the order on Tuesday while ruling in a Motion Exparte filed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and Edison Ehie as claimants/applicants in a suit marked PHC/3030/CS/2023, with Martin Amaewhule and Duule Maol as defendants.
The court further stated that the order came after reading the affidavit of Ehie and after hearing D. I. Iboroma, (SAN) who appeared with A. B. Ihua-Maduenyi Esq., T. C. Kinabere Esq., and P. I. Johnson Esq. as counsel for the Rivers State House of Assembly and Ehie (Claimants/Applicants).
