2025 Budget: Rivers Assembly Did Not Receive Fubara’s Letter, It Is Only On Social Media – Source Reveals

The Rivers State House of Assembly abruptly adjourned indefinitely, raising fresh concerns over the state’s budget, which Governor Siminalayi Fubara had planned to formally present to the legislature on Wednesday.

Naijaonpoint reports that his initial attempt last Wednesday was thwarted when access to the legislators’ quarters was blocked, preventing him and his entourage from gaining entry.

The 27 lawmakers loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike argued that Fubara had not followed due process before attempting to visit the Assembly.

However, just a day after sending a fresh letter to Speaker Martin Amaewhule expressing his “desire and intention to present the 2025 Budget” on March 19, 2025, at 11 a.m. or on any other date within the month deemed appropriate, the House moved to adjourn indefinitely.

The governor’s camp viewed the lawmakers’ move as a deliberate attempt to frustrate the budget presentation.

Chijioke Ihunwo, the dismissed Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, accused the Assembly of deliberately obstructing the process.

“Nobody can remove Governor Fubara,” he said, urging Rivers residents to remain steadfast in their support for the governor.

However, a senior member of the Assembly, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed that the House had yet to receive the governor’s new letter.

“We only saw it on social media, and as I speak to you, the House has not received the letter,” the lawmaker told The Nation on Friday.

The source further downplayed the significance of the indefinite adjournment.

He said: “This is just an expression to say that there is no definite date for them to reconvene. This means that they can reconvene any date they deem fit.

“It can be tomorrow, a week’s time, or a month, as the case may be.

“If they receive the letter from the governor, they may reconvene to consider it.

“So, I don’t see why the expression is generating controversy.”

At the plenary session, no mention was made of the governor’s letter. Instead, the lawmakers focused on passing three bills, which were forwarded to the governor for assent.

These bills included:

1. Rivers State House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2025 – A law granting the House legislative powers, privileges, and immunity.
2. Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Bill, 2025 – A law repealing the existing 2018 State Electoral Law and re-enacting new provisions for the commission’s establishment, composition, and functions in line with the 2022 Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
3. Rivers State Local Government Bill, 2025 – A law repealing the state’s Local Government Laws of 2018, 2023, and 2024, replacing them with a modernized legal framework for local government administration.