THE Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule as Speaker, has asked Governor Siminalayi Fubara to re-present the medium-term expenditure framework and this year’s Appropriation Bill to the lawmakers.
The 25 lawmakers, who disclosed this during their resumed sitting on the floor of the Rivers’ Assembly quarters, along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, January 9, after deliberating on the delayed submission of the audited account of the state by the Public Accounts Committee.
Amaewhule, after listening to explanations from the committee, granted their request for an additional three weeks to do a thorough job and report back to the House, advising the Auditor General to make available, the state accounts to the Assembly, as required by the constitution.
The lawmakers also agreed to write to Fubara to notify him of their planned recess to enable him align with his calendar.
A statement issued by a media aide to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, the Traditional Rulers Law (amendment) Bill, Advertisement and use of state-owned property Prohibition (repealed) Bill passed the First Reading during the sitting.
“When put to vote, the House unanimously agreed to write to Governor Siminialayi Fubara to notify him of the delay in presenting the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the House, in line with the 1999 Constitution, as altered,” the statement said.
Fubara had earlier signed into law, this year’s Appropriation Bill of N800billion, passed into law a day after he presented the estimates to a faction of the House, led by Edison Ehie.
As part of the agreement reached at a peace meeting of the stakeholders and main actors in the political crisis in the state with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, the governor was to re-present the budget proposal to the House, led by Amaewhule, properly.
Ehie, who acted as factional Speaker at the time the budget proposal was presented to his faction, has since resigned his membership of the House in anticipation of appointment as Fubara’s chief of staff.
