The 27 reinstated lawmakers of Rivers Assembly
The Rivers State House of Assembly has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of frustrating the implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment, particularly the directive requiring him to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the lawmakers.
The Rivers State House of Assembly made the accusation through its Chairman, House Committee on Information and spokesperson, Dr Enemi Alabo George, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Sunday. George urged the public to pressure the governor to follow due process in presenting the 2025 Appropriation Bill, rather than attempting to gain public sympathy by portraying lawmakers as obstacles.
He challenged the governor to produce an acknowledged copy of the letter he claimed to have sent 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 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, demonize the House of Assembly and set the public against us. This is demeaning, denigrating and perilously unfortunate.”
George further said the governor frustrated all the House’s efforts to work with him to resolve the lingering crisis immediately after the Supreme Court judgment, particularly on the aspect of presenting the Appropriation Bill in the interest of the state. George stated, “Recall after the recent Supreme court judgment 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 judgment, 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 give 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 co-existence between the executive and the legislature.”
According to George, House staff members who attempted to deliver the letter to the Government House were assaulted and turned away. The lawmakers then resorted to using a courier service, but the governor still did not respond. He added, “The governor did not heed to our call, nor did he demonstrate any intention to.”
