Budget: Rivers Speaker urges Fubara To Ignore ”defected lawmakers ‘

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, has dismissed the purported resolution passed by Martin Amaewhule and his co-travellers wherein they claimed to have barred Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State Government from withdrawing money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.

In his opening speech before the start of legislative business at plenary on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo wondered the basis of such audacity of Amaewhule and his cohorts when their seats had been declared vacant on December 13, 2023, when Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie was then the duly recognised Speaker of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly.

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo stated: “The House states as follows: On the 11th Day of December, 2023, at the 87th Legislative sitting of the House, former Speaker, Martin Amaewhule and the 24 former members defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“By virtue of Section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, which are self executing, and consequent upon their defection, on the 13th Day of December, 2023, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS, Esq, PhD, as the then duly recognised Speaker of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, by virtue of a court order granted by Hon Justice Danagogo on the 12th Day of December, 2023, in Suit No. PHC/3030/CS/2023, and pursuant to Section 109(2) of the 1999 Constitution, declared their seats vacant.”

The speaker, therefore, said it is laughable to have heard and seen the news of the illegal sitting of the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule on television screens and
social media space on the 15th Day of July, 2024.

He noted that in the circulated news, it was stated that Amaewhule and his cohorts had passed a resolution to the effect that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not permitted to authorize the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo said the resolution further threatened that the House will declare a shutdown on expenditures, until an Appropriation Bill for the 2024 fiscal year is presented and passed by the illegal House.

He also stated that the purported resolution directed the Governor to desist from further authorization of
withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State, while directing all Rivers State Government Ministries, Commissions, Agencies,
Departments and Extra-Ministerial Departments to desist from spending taxpayers’ funds until the 2024 Appropriation Bill is laid before the former lawmakers.

But the Speaker insisted: “Consequent upon constitutional provisions and the declaration of their seats vacant, the recognised 10th Rivers State House of Assembly is the one led by Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo.

“Thus, the Rivers State Government has ceased paying any form of salaries, allowances or statutory remunerations to the former members.

“The 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, which is the legitimate House under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo is the only one recognised by law and the Rivers State Government, and thus, has been receiving all statutory allocations due the House of Assembly.

“And has been discharging its financial obligations by paying the salaries of the recognised Honourable members of the House, their aides, and allowances of the public servants in the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo said Amaewhule and the 24 ex-lawmakers had hinged their resolution on Section 122 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers a State Governor to continue to make appropriations for six months, from the budget of the previous fiscal year, where for any reason, he was unable to present an Appropriation Bill to the House.

He noted, “May I remind the defected members that His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of the then Speaker, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS.

“And it was duly passed on the 13th Day of December, 2023, and assented to on the 14th Day of December, 2023.”

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo said further: “This House awaits to receive from His Excellency, the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the next 3 financial years, pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law, No 8 of 2010, in order to prepare for the 2025 fiscal year.

“The general public is, therefore, called upon to disregard and ignore those misguided former members, and also discountenance their illegal actions.

“I once again call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expedite preparations towards the conduct of a bye-election to fill the vacant seats created in the Rivers State House of Assembly by the defection of Martin Amaewhule and 24 others.”

Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo explained that the position of the authentic Rivers State House of Assembly has been communicated to Prof. Ngozi Odu, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State; the Secretary to the Rivers State Government; the Head of the Civil Service of Rivers State; the Accountant-General; and Auditor-General of Rivers State.

Other institutions that have also been communicated, Rt Hon. Oko-Jumbo, said include the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria; Chairman of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission; Accountant-General of the Federation; Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank PLC; and Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Group.

At the commencement of legislative business, member representing Opobo/Nkoro State Constituency and Deputy Speaker, Hon Adolphus Orubienimigha, proposed the Rivers State Vocational and Technical Training Institute Bill 2024, which passed first reading.

The bill seeks the establishment of a comprehensive training institute where Rivers youths, including women can access to learn and acquire requisite and industry- based skills to become self-reliant or employable where such skills are needed.

Also at plenary, the House entertained the motion to Prohibit Public Defecation, which was proposed by Deputy Speaker, Hon Adolphus Orubienimigha, demanding the declaration of public health emergency on public defecation in order to protect public health, dignity of lives and ensure environmental responsibility in the State.

The House also received a petition from the Ataba Community in Andoni Local Government Area over ongoing land dispute between Bonny and Ataba communities, with the speaker referring the petition to the Committee on Public Complaints headed by the member representing Ahoada West State Constituency and Leader of the House, Hon Sokari Goodboy Sokari.

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