Fubara Frustrating Budget Presentation, 27 Lawmakers Claim as Rivers Crisis Festers

*Deny receiving his correspondence 

*N’Delta youths urge Tinubu to drive peace

*Women support Fubara’s peace moves, urges Wike, Assembly members to sheathe sword

*Ogoni stakeholders push for peaceful dialogue with FG on oil resumption

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

Twenty-seven members of Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, have accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of frustrating implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on the 2025 state budget re-presentation. 
The lawmakers claimed that the governor was not willing to comply with the apex court order, especially the aspect requiring him to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the Assembly. They also denied receiving any correspondence from the governor on the budget re-presentation.
The media was awash last week with reports about the governor being locked out of the Assembly complex, where he had gone, allegedly, based on formal correspondence, to do the budget re-presentation, as ordered by the Supreme Court.
However, Chairman, House Committee on Information and spokesperson of the Assembly, Enemi George, who spoke to a select group of journalists, yesterday in Port Harcourt, challenged Fubara to produce the acknowledged copy of the letter he claimed to have sent to the legislature on the budget re-presentation.
But in a letter dated March 7, 2025, from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, the speaker and all members of the Assembly were invited to a meeting with the governor at his office on March 10 to discuss, among others, the presentation of the budget.
The letter, seen by THISDAY, said the meeting would also discuss provision of a befitting space for Assembly sittings and payment of outstanding salaries and allowances of the legislators.  
As the political crisis in Rivers State festered, Pan-Niger Delta Youths Forum (PANDYEF) called on President Bola Tinubu to leverage his authority and ensure lasting peace and security in the oil-rich state. 
The appeal came as hundreds of women from the 23 local government areas of Rivers State called on Fubara to keep maintaining his peaceful disposition, despite the challenges he faced from detractors.
Similarly, stakeholders from the Ogoni ethnic nationality called for peace among the Ogoni as they continued to dialogue with the federal government ahead of the resumption of oil exploration in the area.
Rivers State House of Assembly called on members of the public to compel Fubara to follow the established due process in presenting the appropriation bill instead of playing to the gallery.
George said, “Last week, we were told that on his way to Ogoni for a programme, the governor made a stopover at the gate of the House of Assembly Quarters to grant an interview to the press. 
“In that interview, he claimed that he had sent a letter to the House of Assembly indicating his intention to visit and present the appropriation bill, a claim we found rather astonishing, as no such letter was received by the House of Assembly. 
“His aides later alleged that they forwarded a letter through WhatsApp to some members of the house, which was also awkward, unprofessional and embarrassing.
“As I speak, the social media space is awash with stories about a purported letter from the governor to the House of Assembly expressing his intention to visit the house to present the appropriation bill for the year 2025.
“Nothing can be farther from the truth. We want to state categorically that there is no such letter before the House of Assembly or any of its staff. 
“We challenge the governor and his aides to produce an acknowledgement copy of such a letter or any evidence that such a letter was sent or received by the House of Assembly. 
“It is absolutely untrue and unfortunate. The general public must, as a matter of importance, ignore such claim.
“It is now very obvious that if at all there was such a letter, the intended recipient was not the legislature, but the public, and the clear intention was to play to the gallery, whip up public sentiment, demonise the House of Assembly, and set the public against us. This is demeaning, denigrating and perilously unfortunate.”
George said the governor frustrated all the efforts of the Assembly to work with him to resolve the lingering crisis immediately after the Supreme Court judgement, particularly, on presentation of the Appropriation Bill, in the interest of the state.
He stated, “Recall, after the recent Supreme Court judgement on the budget of our state, it became absolutely necessary for the governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara, to present the appropriation bill to the legislature for consideration and passage.
“Also, recall that immediately after the judgement, this house wrote to the governor, calling on him to immediately present the budget for speedy consideration. 
“It was our hope that by the 15th of March, 2025, we would have concluded the process of passing the appropriation bill into law, so as to give us enough time to approach the federal government to release funds meant for our state, which have been seized by the judgement of the Supreme Court. 
“This we did in the interest of our dear state and in pursuit of peace, recognising that no government can function optimally without a harmonious co-existence between the executive and the legislature.”
According to him, “This letter was rejected and the staff of the House of Assembly, who attempted to deliver the mails, were brutalised at the gate of the Government House and sent back.  
“Undeterred by this, the house resorted to use a courier service to deliver the mail. The governor did not heed to our call, nor did he demonstrate any intention to.
“Recall, again, that the judgement of the Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of most of the commissioners of the state. To bridge this gap and avoid a vacuum, this house immediately wrote to the governor to submit the list of commissioners for immediate screening. 
“Our letter was again rejected at the Government House and we once again resorted to deliver the mail through a courier service. Rather than heed our call, the governor instructed them to go to court against us, which they have now done. 
“The governor went further to instruct all ministries, agencies and departments of government not to receive any correspondence from the Rivers State House of Assembly nor communicate with us in any manner.”
George said the governor must be reminded that the House of Assembly was not an appendage of the executive and its members were not his slaves, bondservants and serfs. 
He said, “We are an independent arm of government in line with the principles of horizontal separation of powers as expressed in Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended. 
“It is in responding to the attitude that the supreme court said in its judgement: A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of the state under the 1999 Constitution. 
“In this case, the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no government in Rivers State.” 
George said the Assembly had hoped that such strong words from the Supreme Court would help “purge the governor of such despotic ways”.
As an Assembly, he said the lawmakers were severely solicitous of progress of the state, adding that one man should not be allowed to hold everybody in the state to ransom because of his ego.
George called on the governor to do the right thing in the right and lawful way to allow the state make progress.
He said the Assembly was the worst hit in the ongoing crisis, lamenting that the lawmakers have suffered untold hardship. The legislative spokesman insisted that the governor must be stopped from extending such punishment to Rivers people.
He said, “This Assembly has borne the brunt of this crisis. We have endured immense hardship. We have been battered almost beyond our carrying capacity. 
“We have been punished unduly and unfairly for trying to perform our constitutional duties. Our governor must not extend this punishment to Rivers people. No, please, no. We must not allow it.
“We have seen hell: our hallowed chamber was burnt down by the governor. The House of Assembly Complex was brought down by the governor, totally demolished alongside our personal effect and belongings. 
“Our speaker’s residence was brutally attacked. Our residential quarters was brutally invaded by the governor. Our allowances have been seized for about a year and six months. We still continue to suffer. 
“Yet we have resolved to put all of these behind us in the interest of our state, so that our state can move forward. We cannot afford to punish our people because of our ego and personal interests.  
“We have our aged pensioners, who must receive their pensions. We have our teachers in public schools who we depend on for our children to be educated, they must be paid their salaries. 
“We have government hospitals and health centres, which our people depend on for discounted and affordable medical services.”

Niger Delta Youths Urge Tinubu to Drive Peace 

Pan Niger Delta Youths Forum (PANDYEF) called on President Bola Tinubu to use his position to drive lasting peace in Rivers State. 
PANDYEF, which made the call in a statement by its spokesman, Mazi Chika Art Adiele, raised the alarm over the unending political crisis in the state. 
The group commended Tinubu for his “fatherly interventions” in the political crisis, following the face-off between Fubara and his predecessor and estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike. 
PANDYEF, which described itself as the apex organisation of Niger Delta youth groups, warned that the political crisis, which had “unfortunately brought negative spotlight on River State” should not be allowed to escalate. 
It stated, “It is our belief that Mr. President has the capacity to ease the escalation of the political tension and ensure lasting peace and security without further delay.”

Women Support Fubara’s Peace Moves

Hundreds of women from the 23 local government areas of Rivers State gathered in Port Harcourt to lend support to efforts to ensure a peaceful resolution of the political crisis in Rivers State.
The women, under the aegis of Rivers Women Unite for Sim (RWUS), called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to maintain his peaceful disposition, despite confrontation from detractors.
They called on Wike and members of the state Assembly to sheathe their sword for peace to reign in the state.
RWUS made the appeals at the weekend, during a three-day praise and prayer session held in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the prayer session, former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Beatrice Awala, who represented Ahoada East Constituency 1, emphasised that women and children would suffer more should there be a breakdown of law and order in the state. 
Awala said the governor had exhibited a peaceful disposition since the beginning of the political crisis, and stressed the need for the opposing faction to toe the line of peace.
She stated, “I stand as elder stateswoman in this programme today. We are praying for peace, we are praying for unity, we are praying for progress, we are praying for development. We are praying that one governor should rule at a time. 
“If anything happens, the effect will be more on the women and children. And women of Rivers State, we are crying and we are praying that they should remember the people of Rivers State. 
“Our governor thinks of Rivers State, he doesn’t think of anything other than the development of Rivers State, apart from the welfare of the people of Rivers State.
“If it was during Wike’s time as governor, will he allow the House of Assembly to give him 48 hours to present budget? Will he even allow them to say anything? Why won’t he allow them to honour our governor, to let them (lawmakers) see that we have only one governor.” 

Ogoni Stakeholders Push for Peaceful Dialogue with FG on Oil Resumption 

Stakeholders from the Ogoni ethnic nationality called for peace among the Ogoni as they dialogued with the federal government on resumption of oil exploration in the area.
After a recent meeting with the presidency in Abuja, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, the stakeholders set up a committee, where they agreed to have a town hall meeting across the four local government areas (Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai) with the intent to get reactions and submissions from the grassroots.
At the last town hall meeting held in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area, weekend, the member representing Khana-Gokana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dumnamene Dekor, called for unity among the people.
Dekor said the town hall meeting presented an opportunity for the Ogoni to talk about their problem.
He thanked the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his commitment towards the negotiation process. 
Dekor stated, “If we continue to unite, we’ll succeed. By the special grace of God, the opportunity has been thrown at us that we have a president who cares about us, who invited us and told us to come and talk about our problem so that we can heal the wounds of yesteryears.”