On Tuesday, July 16, the Rivers state house of assembly, led by Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo and Governor Siminalayi Fubara loyal faction rejected the resolution made by former Governor Nyesom Wike loyalists led by Martin Amaewhule.
Speaker Oko-Jumbo during the plenary described the resolution which barred the Governor from spending public funds as unfounded and lacking legal validity.
Channels TV reported that Oko-Jumbo made it known that Amaewhule and the other 24 members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) in December 2023 are no longer members of the assembly.
The speaker further backed up his point by making reference to the constitution’s section on defection. He further explained that the section which is self executing was enforced by a court-recognized Speaker, Edison Ehie, who declared the 25 seats vacant.
The appropriation bill was presented to the House by Governor Fubara which was passed and signed into law under former Speaker Edison Ehie. Oko-Jumbo announced that the house is now awaiting the presentation of the medium-term expenditure framework for the 2025 fiscal year, as reported by The Punch.
