It’s 2027 advantage, not budget presentation, that is the prize of the Rivers warfare – analysts

…As the state budget now floats on the street without anyone to re-approve it

The Supreme Court has ordered that the Rivers State government budget be presented to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) but the budget has been floating around the streets of Port Harcourt without anywhere to perch or any chamber to debate it.

Many now wonder why the parties fought up to the highest court in the land over the budget, only for the budget now to be treated like leprosy.

The Supreme Court ruled that it is the Amaewhule faction, not the Victor Oko-Jumbo’s, that should approve the 2024 budget, invariably the 2025 version, too.

The apex court also ruled in another appeal that the October 5, 2024 local council elections that favoured Gov Sim Fubara was wrong and stood annulled.

In both favourable rulings, the Wike camps does not seem to smile much anymore. The governor replaced the 23 councils with heads of administration (who are workers under the state executive arm).

Those in the Wike camp say Gov Fubara was not keen on the budget being approved. Tony Okocha said the governor did not care about the thousands of civil servants that would soon go hungry as a result of absence of a budget.

On the other hand, Fubara has argued that he has done and is still doing everything possible to get the budget accepted and debated.

The governor in his letter to the House said he had arranged a meeting with the lawmakers to agree on the way forward but that meeting was rebuffed. He said he swallowed that and wrote to the House to give him March 12, 2025 date to present the budget but the Clerk of the House said he was not available to receive the letter requesting for a date. When the governor got to the gate of the venue, he found himself staring at locked doors.

Read also: Gov Fubara opens up: ‘How I was stopped from presenting Rivers 2025 budget’

Not deterred, the governor has written another letter asking for another opportunity.

In the letter, he tried to show that he was determined to present the budget so it can get passed.

Fubara stated: “You may recall my failed visit to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday, 12th March, 2025, for the presentation of the 2025 Rivers State Budget in compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“As you know, the planned presentation of the said budget could not take place because my entourage and I were locked out at the gate and denied entry into the premises despite the prior delivery of a soft copy of the notice to you following the failure of the Clerk to accept the hard copy from us.

“Recall further that before this unfortunate incident, the House issued a 48-hour ultimatum to present the 2025 budget even when we were yet to be served with the certified true copy of the judgement and accompanying enrolled orders.

“Therefore, we were simply complying with both the order of the Supreme Court and the request of the Rivers State House of Assembly when we came to present the 2025 budget on the 12th of March, 2025.

“The Supreme Court has directed that all arms of government should exercise their powers and perform their duties within the ambits of the Constitution and ordinary laws of our country, and this we must do to end the lingering stalemate and advance the progress of our State and the well-being of our people.”

He said no matter the depth of their differences, he believed the interests of the State and the people should take priority over political conflicts.

He went on: “Against this background, it is my pleasure to again notify you, Mr. Speaker, of my desire and intention to present the 2025 Budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday, 19th March, 2025 by 11.00 a.m. or any other date within March 2025 that you may consider convenient.”

Budget for who?

The reason most politicians fight to finish to get into the parliament is said to be to win budgets for ‘constituency project allocations’. This allows the lawmakers to nominate contractors to execute the projects and to push their loyalists into opportunities.

The Rivers State N800Bn 2024 and N1.18trn 2025 budgets do not seem to have any provision for constituency projects that the lawmakers would control. Analysts close to the lawmakers say there is nothing in the budgets to attract any lawmaker.

They say Fubara seems to be the only person who would gain by use of the funds in the budgets. Same way they think it’s the governor that is gaining in the nullification of the LGA election. The 27 lawmakers are still fighting to control the local election body that would reconduct the election, but that seems difficult.

The analysist said what the Wike camp wanted was to keep the 27 lawmakers on seat till 2027 so Fubara won’t get a favourable parliament. He also hopes that the lawmakers would figure out how to remove the governor so 2027 would be free coast.

On the LGA matter, observers said the Wike camp’s interest is not nullification but a plan to decide who got elected into the councils so they would be the ones to oversee the 2027 elections from primaries to the main elections. That way, whoever controlled the LGAs would deliver the governor and the president.

That seems to be the reason the 27 lawmakers appear to be bent on removing the RSIEC boss and amend the RSIEC law so that they would decide who runs the elections. That battle is still raging but one boost to the Fubara camp seems to be the successful collection of the voters register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The lawmakers are said to have returned to duty to accomplish one task, remove Fubara. This is said to be a faster way to get 2027 advantage. Wike is believed by the FG operatives that he is the sure bet for President Bola Tinubu for 2027 in Rivers State. He has made open boast of such powers. They say whatever he needs to do to fulfil that boast would be done. Fubara seems fully aware of this.