Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday, Decmber 2, defended his decision to present the 2025 budget to just three lawmakers, asserting that the 27 members of the State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had permanently lost their seats.
Fubara, who is currently embroiled in a prolonged dispute with former governor Nyesom Wike, made it clear that the defected lawmakers, loyal to Wike, would not be allowed back into the Assembly. He further insisted that there was no remedy or possibility for their return.
Speaking shortly after signing the N1.1 trillion 2025 budget at the State House in Port Harcourt, Fubara explained that the three-member Assembly, led by Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo, was the only legitimate legislative body in the state.
He stated, “I want to say this, maybe for some persons somewhere who are still mixing up issues. We have only one Assembly, and that Assembly is headed by Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo.”
Fubara likened the defected lawmakers to a group of travellers who had ventured into dangerous territory and now sought to retreat, declaring that it was too late for such a retreat.
“We have given them enough room for peace,” he said.
“There is no governor in Nigeria who can take the kind of insult I took from those set of people.”
The governor pledged to remain focused on the interests of Rivers State, promising to deliver an even better performance in 2025.
“We will make sure that we kick-start, so that the record of performance that was accorded by this administration in 2024 will be higher this year,” he added.
Fubara also took the opportunity to thank the Rivers State House of Assembly for its diligence, as well as the members of the State Executive Council, including the Deputy Governor, for their support.
Special mention was made of the Commissioners for Finance and Budget, and the acting Chairman of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Board for their contributions.
“We have made some promises to our people—education, health, and agriculture,” Fubara concluded.
The tension between the factions of the Rivers State House of Assembly is expected to remain high as the state heads into 2025.
