Pro-Wike lawmakers suspend state consolidated tax funds as 7-day order expires

By Amaka Agbu

Following the seven-day deadline for the submission of the 2024 budget to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, have closed the state’s consolidated revenue funds.

The 27 pro-Wike MPs led by faction spokesman Martin Amaewhule had last week instructed Governor Fubara to present to them the N800 billion Naira draft budget for 2024, which the governor had presented to his loyal five-member MP, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, in December last year and subsequently signed into law by the governor.

In the latest move, the parliamentarians led by Martin Amaewhule ordered the closure of all state accounts managed by the government of Governor Siminalayi Fubara until the budget is presented. They decided that the governor would no longer be allowed to approve or order expenditure from the consolidated state budget until further notice, nor would ministries be allowed to spend public funds until further notice.

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House Minority Leader Major Jack had moved the motion to halt the said expenditure and informed the House of Representatives of the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum given to the Governor to present to the House the 2024 budget, which the Governor had already signed into law.

The lawmakers issued the ultimatum in their first session, months after being dismissed by a state Supreme Court, but they recovered after an appeals court overturned the state court’s ruling for lack of jurisdiction to hear the case in the first instance.

It will be recalled that the pro-Fubara five-man MPs passed the budget after the pro-Wike party’s 27 out of 32 MPs defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice James Omotosho in January 2024 declared the signing of the budget bill null and void and mandated Fubara to represent the budget before the lawfully constituted House of Representatives under Amaewhule. Justice Omotosho described the actions of the pro-Fubara lawmakers as null and void.