*Your Seats Vacant, I’ll Soon Present 2025 Budget, Says Fubara

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned (former) members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, against escalating the political crisis in the state. 

Recall that the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers, who during plenary on Monday, July 8, asked Governor Siminilayi Fubara to resubmit the state’s 2024 budget within seven days.

This followed the judgment of the Court in Abuja, dismissing the order of a Rivers State High Court that restrained them from parading themselves as members of the Assembly and conducting legislative proceedings, having defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The appellate court ruled that the lower court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the originating suit, as such matter could only be entertained by the Federal High Court.

Following the defection, Fubara in December 2023, presented the state’s N800billion 2024 Appropriation Bill to the remaining five lawmakers, led by Edison Ehie.

The Ehie-led faction approved the budget, which the governor the leadership crisis signed into law about 24 hours later.

      But in a statement issued on Wednesday, July 10and signed by PDP spokesperson, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, the party cautioned the lawmakers to “desist from actions and utterances capable of disrupting peace and governance” in the state.

The statement read: “The party counsels the former lawmakers to wake up to the reality that they are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly by virtue of the self-executory provision of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and, as such, cannot gather or issue any notice to the state governor in the capacity of members of Rivers State House of Assembly.

“PDP’s caution is coming against the backdrop of a purported seven-day ultimatum issued by the former lawmakers from an unknown location to Fubara to re-present the 2024 Rivers State budget, which has already been passed and signed into law.

“This action by these individuals seeking to assume the powers of the Rivers House of Assembly is apparently with the intention to cause a crisis, undermine and disrupt the democratic and constitutional order in the state, in clear violation of Section 1, sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“Having irretrievably lost their seats upon their defection from the PDP, the political party platform upon which they were elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly, they cannot enjoy the powers, rights, privileges, recognition and obligations of members of the Rivers State House of assembly.”

The party charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, “to note the subversive action of these former lawmakers and take immediate action to protect the institutions of democracy, peace and security in Rivers State.”

The same position was re-echoed by Fubara on the same day when he declared that the embattled members had lost their seats by virtue of their defection.

Speaking during a solidarity visit by Ogbakor Etche people, Fubara insisted : “They think that we are still sleeping, but let me tell you people, so that they will hear wherever they are. I sincerely wanted to help them and I have said this before.

“These are people that I have helped, I paid their children’s school fees, I paid their house rents. My father was already a Shell officer from 2005 when I started working on finance.

“Before I started working here, I was even a Shell manager, so I wasn’t a beggar, I had enough that I could eat and extend to people.

“I wanted to help them. We all know what happened when they crossed and they crossed because of our God, so that they can make that mistake. They are gone and they are gone.”

The governor announced that he was already working on the 2025 budget, which would be presented before the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Assembly soon, noting: “As I am talking to you, I have started preparing my budget for 2025, which I am going to present very soon.”