THE Rivers state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has presented the 2024 budget to only five members of the state House of Assembly.
He reportedly presented the budget at the state’s Government House.
The presentation took place hours after his government demolished the state House of Assembly building on Wednesday, December 13, amid the ongoing political crisis in the state.
The development came two days after 27 out of the 32 state House of Assembly members defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It is also coming a few weeks after unknown persons burnt the Assembly Complex.
Accompanied by the secretary to the state government, Tammy Danagogo, and other members of his cabinet, Fubara presented a N800 billion appropriation bill for the 2024 fiscal year to the five-member Assembly.
At its fifth meeting on Monday, the state executive council adopted the projected 2024 fiscal year budget worth over N800 billion, dubbed the budget of renewed hope, consolidation, and continuity.
During the Wednesday sitting, Edison Ehie, the Assembly speaker, declared vacant the seats of 27 legislators who defected to the APC during the sessions on Wednesday.
The ICIR reports that fire engulfed the complex on Sunday, October 29, around 10 p.m. and was quenched by the Fire Service and security agents, who prevented it from consuming the entire complex.
Some members of the Assembly believed to be loyal to the state’s immediate past governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) initiated impeachment against the governor a day after the inferno.
The then majority leader Edison, known to be the Fubara’s ally, was removed in the botched attempt to impeach the governor, while Fubara was also accused of masterminding the inferno as part of efforts to frustrate his impeachment.
Ehie was elected speaker in October by a faction of the House after the attempt to impeach Fubara failed.
On Tuesday, December 12, the state high Court in Port Harcourt confirmed Ehie as the authentic speaker of the state’s House of Assembly.
The presiding judge, M.W Danagogo, ordered Martin Amaewhule and Dumle Maol, who claim to be the House leaders, to refrain from parading themselves or meddling with Ehie’s duties as speaker of the state House of Assembly.
The court also warned against forceful entry into the Assembly Complex using thugs or Police.
A reporter with the ICIR
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