Rivers crisis: Why we blocked Fubara’s budget presentation—Pro-Wike lawmakers

Lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly have defended their decision to prevent Governor Siminalayi Fubara from presenting the 2024 budget, insisting that he failed to follow due process.

According to the Assembly, Fubara was invited to submit the budget on March 3 following the Supreme Court’s judgment, but he did not officially notify them before arriving at the Assembly complex. The lawmakers argued that legislative procedures require an official invitation before a budget presentation can take place.

They also claimed that previous attempts to communicate with the governor had been ignored, forcing them to use a courier service to deliver their resolutions. Despite this, they maintained that their priority remained the progress of Rivers State and that they were ready to consider the budget once the proper steps were followed.

Dismissing claims that they deliberately blocked Fubara, the lawmakers accused him of staging the incident to gain public sympathy and paint the Assembly in a negative light. They insisted that the legislative process must be respected before any budget presentation could proceed.

Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Dr. Enemi Alabo George, clarified their stance:

“We were the ones who, immediately after the Supreme Court’s judgment, urged the governor to bring the appropriation bill. We acted swiftly because we have the state’s interest at heart and did not want Rivers people to suffer.

“Despite the governor withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still encouraged him to hasten the presentation. We even gave him a timeframe due to the urgency of the matter.

“To regularize his appointments, we also urged him to submit names of nominees for commissioners and board members for screening and confirmation. But he ignored our pleas.

“When we sent Assembly staff to deliver these resolutions to him, they were turned away at the gate and even brutalized. As a last resort, we engaged a courier service, yet he still failed to respond.

“Our goal was to complete the budget process by March 15 so that we could forward necessary documents to relevant government agencies to ensure the release of Rivers State’s allocations at the end of the month. But the governor’s actions have thrown everything into uncertainty.

“How can he now claim that we blocked him from presenting his budget? This is pure insincerity. In fact, we also need the budget to be passed because the governor has owed us our entitlements for over a year, and without the budget, we cannot be paid.

“The governor and his team deliberately staged Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive—to tarnish the image of the Assembly. He is playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiment, but it has backfired because the truth is now clear.”

Dr. George also pointed out inconsistencies in Fubara’s actions, questioning the legitimacy of his approach.

“The letter he supposedly sent is dated March 11. Does that mean he sent it on Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning, he was already at the Assembly to present the budget? That alone discredits his claim.

“Procedurally, after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for acknowledgment and an official invitation before appearing for the presentation. If he was sincere, he would have followed due process,” he added.

With the crisis deepening, all eyes are now on how the budget impasse will be resolved in Rivers State.