Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, on Thursday, signed the 2025 appropriation bill into law.
Fubara had on Monday presented the budget proposal to a four-member Rivers state house of assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, maintaining that it is the authentic House of Assembly.
Since 2023, the assembly has been factionalised following the feud between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor.
The majority of the Rivers assembly lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule are loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
However, there's an ongoing controversy over their status as lawmakers following their alleged defection from the PDP to the APC, with governor insisting that their seats remain vacant in line with the constitution.
In the budget, a total of N462,254,153,418 was allocated to recurrent expenditure and N678,088,433,692 for capital projects. This brings the total appropriation to N1,188,962,739,932.
The governor who signed the N1.18 trillion appropriation bill at the government house in Port Harcourt, said his administration is no longer concerned with the division in the Rivers assembly.
“We have one assembly and that assembly is headed by Honourable Victor Oko-Jumbo. As far as I’m concerned, we have moved on,” he said.
The presentation and signing of the 2025 Rivers budget proposal is a repeat of the 2024 events.
Fubara had in December 2023, presented the state’s N800 billion budget estimate for 2024 to five-member of the River assembly led by Edison Ehie.
Barely twenty-four hours later, the Rivers governor signed the 2024 appropriation bill into law.
Ehie subsequently resigned as a lawmaker and was appointed as chief of staff to the governor.
His Eesignation meant that the state lawmakers loyal to Fubara were reduced to four.
Oko-Jumbo took over as the speaker of the faction of the Rivers assembly loyal to Fubara.
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