Pro-Fubara lawmakers urge public to disregard Amaewhule’s pronouncement, authorize Fubara to spend public funds
The Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Rivers State House of Assembly has condemned the resolution by the Martin Amaewhule-led House that barred the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara from spending public funds.
Oko-Jumbo, who is the Speaker, stated this in his opening remark during the plenary on Tuesday, July 16.
Recall that on Monday, July 15, the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, shut down all expenditures of the Rivers State governor, following a seven-day ultimatum the lawmakers gave the governor to present his budget before the House.
He said what Amaewhule and 24 others whom he described as former members of the House did, was baseless, arguing that the group had neither the legal nor moral capacity, to bar the governor from spending public funds.
He insisted that Amaewhule and his cohorts are not members of the Assembly, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023.
Buttressing his argument, he said the section of the constitution which deals with the issue of defection is self-executing, adding that this section was further made effective following the declaration of the 25 seats vacant by Edison Ehie, who was recognized by a court as the Speaker before he (Oko-Jumbo) assumed office.
He stated that the Assembly led by him, is the legally recognized section, which manages the statutory allocation of the house.
Oko-Jumbo then explained that the governor had duly presented the said appropriation bill to the house when Edison Ehie was the speaker, and that same was passed and signed into law.
He said that the house is awaiting the presentation of the medium-term expenditure framework ahead of the 2025 fiscal year.
He urged the public to ignore the Amaewhule pronouncement, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to without delay, conduct the bye-election to fill the 25 vacant seats in the house.
