Fubara blocked from accessing assembly to present Rivers 2025 budget at RSHA

Governor Sim Fubara did not succeed in gaining entrance into the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) to re-present the 2025 budget as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The move started Tuesday, March 11, 2025, when the governor personally signed a letter asking the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, to make way for the presentation of the budget.

Attempts to deliver the letter to the Clerk of the House was said to have failed as the Clerk allegedly told principal secretary to the Governor that he was not available.

The governor’s aide thus forwarded the soft copy to the Speaker to prepare to receive the budget 10am March 12, 2025 at the RSHA Complex.

Read also: Wike backs impeachment for Fubara, accuses PANDEF of meddling

The governor was said to have shifted a commissioning ceremony in Bori, Khana LGA from 10am to 2pm to enable him present the budget. This thus kicked off the drama of carrying about the state’s budget looking for where to submit, an indication that the efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 11, 2025 in Abuja for elders of the Niger Delta to get Gov Fubara to obey the law did not make any impact.

Video clips making the rounds in the state showed the governor’s aide trying to submit the letter from the governor to the Speaker to make room for the budget presentation.

The letter from the ‘Office of the Governor’ to the Amaewhule via Moscow Road titled ‘Presentation of Rivers State 2025 Budget’ stated thus: “Please recall my statewide broadcast of March 2, 2025, in which I expressed our unreserved commitment to implementing the recent Supreme Court judgment on the political disputes in Rivers State as soon as the enrolled judgment orders were served on us.

“It was in furtherance of this commitment that we initiated the consultative meeting with the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) for March 10, 2025 to consider all the issues raised by the judgment and agree on the way forward in the best interest of our dear state.

“However, this crucial meeting was never held, which was unfortunate. Nevertheless, we have decided to move on to swiftly implement the terms of the judgment as promised having now been served with the certified true copy.

“Consequently, we wish to notify Mr Speaker of our desire and intention to present 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to the RSHA on Wed March 12 by 10am. Thank you for the kind consideration of my request by the House of Assembly”.

Attempt to get the reaction of the Speaker through his spokesperson, Martin Wachukwu, did not immediately work out as he told our Reporter he would get back to him.

Read also: Gates locked as Fubara arrives Rivers Assembly complex

Political observers in the state say the failure of the lawmakers to honour the governor’s invitation to work out how to proceed and the failure of the House to make way for the budget presentation seem clear indications that the dispute is not bottoming out anytime soon.

They also say it may be an indication that impeachment is the only agenda on the plate of the lawmakers.