Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is set to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo.
The presentation of the budget is expected to take place today, following a letter from Governor Fubara requesting permission to present the appropriation bill. The letter was read by Speaker Oko-Jumbo during the Assembly’s plenary session.
Last year, Governor Fubara presented his inaugural budget to a four-member Assembly led by Edison Ehie, who was recognized as Speaker by a State High Court.
It should be recalled that the defection of 27 Assembly members, including then-Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), led to a crisis that has yet to be fully resolved.
The crisis deepened as the three remaining members of the House after Ehie’s exit maintained their legitimacy, citing Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which they argued is self-executing in cases of defection without a crisis in the parent party.