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The Rivers House of Assembly has demanded that Governor Siminalayi Fubara present to it for consideration, the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the 2024 appropriation bill.

The lawmakers made the request in a letter dated 9 January and addressed to Governor Fubara.

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The letter, signed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, stated that the “2024 appropriation bill is yet to be laid before the House.”

The lawmakers urged the governor “to act promptly by fulfilling the above constitutional responsibilities sooner before the House proceed on recess.”

The house said the decision to write the governor on the issue was taken during the plenary on Tuesday.

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Twenty-four out of 31 members of the assembly were in attendance and voted at the plenary when the speaker put the motion to vote, according to a video of the event shared on Facebook.

If Governor Fubara complies with the lawmakers’ demand, it will be the second time in less than one month that he would have presented the state appropriation bill to the assembly.

Mr Fubara had on 13 December 2023 presented the state’s N800 billion 2024 budget to the then four-member assembly which had passed it within 24 hours. Mr Fubara quickly assented to it.

The oil-rich Rivers State has been enmeshed in a political crisis since October last year when some lawmakers attempted to impeach the governor.

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The political crisis, triggered by the power tussle between Mr Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, has battered the assembly, splitting the lawmakers into two factions, with the four-member faction loyal to Governor Fubara, while the other with 26 members are loyal to Mr Wike, who is now the Minister of FCT.

To solve the crisis, President Bola Tinubu last month mediated a meeting where a peace deal was signed between Messrs Fubara and Wike.

Part of the widely criticised deal was for Mr Wike-backed lawmakers, whose seats were declared vacant after they defected to the APC, to return to the assembly and for Mr Fubara to re-present the 2024 budget before the lawmakers.

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The four-member faction apparently became disbanded after their speaker resigned from the position and the assembly.

The pro-Wike lawmakers, who had fulfilled their part of the deal by withdrawing the impeachment notice on Mr Fubara, are now demanding that the governor present the 2024 budget.

Premium Times