PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria – The Rivers State House of Assembly has criticised Governor Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of obstructing the enforcement of a Supreme Court judgment that ordered the resumption of legislative activities and the presentation of the 2025 budget.
The assembly’s spokesperson, Enemi George, made the allegations during a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Sunday, March 16, 2025.
On 28 February, the Supreme Court affirmed a Federal High Court ruling that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The apex court also ordered the Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers Assembly, loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, to resume sitting.
However, tensions escalated on March 12, 2025, when Fubara was reportedly prevented from entering the Rivers House of Assembly quarters to present the 2025 budget.
The assembly subsequently adjourned its plenary indefinitely.
George refuted claims that the assembly had received a letter from the governor notifying them of his intention to present the budget.
“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,” George said.
“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.”
George described the governor’s actions as “awkward, unprofessional, and embarrassing,” challenging Fubara to provide evidence of the alleged letter.
“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,” he said.
The lawmaker accused Fubara of attempting to “grandstand, stir public emotions, and turn the public against the assembly.”
He added, “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 also highlighted the assembly’s efforts to comply with the Supreme Court judgment, including writing to the governor to submit the 2025 budget and a list of commissioners for screening. However, he said these requests were ignored.
“Recall again that the judgment 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,” George said.
He added that the governor instructed the commissioners to challenge the assembly’s actions in court, further complicating the situation.
The ongoing dispute between the executive and legislative arms of the Rivers State government has raised concerns about governance and the timely passage of the 2025 budget. As the standoff continues, stakeholders are calling for dialogue to resolve the impasse and ensure the state’s development is not hindered.
