The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to seize the recent Federal High Court judgment as an opportunity to properly present the 2024 budget before the State House of Assembly.
Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the APC caretaker committee in the state and Rivers State representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), conveyed this appeal during a media address in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Okocha welcomed the Federal High Court in Abuja’s decision, which nullified the N800 billion budget passed by the group led by Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie in the Rivers State House of Assembly, signed into law by Governor Fubara.
Commending the judiciary for upholding justice, Okocha emphasized that the budget was never properly presented due to the Ehie-led group not meeting the statutory requirement of forming a quorum in the House, which necessitates one-third (approximately 10 members).
Maintaining that the budget was presented in error, Okocha said, “The decision of the Federal High Court, which also stopped the Governor from interfering with the affairs of the Rivers State House of Assembly, is in order and is welcomed by us.”
He urged Governor Fubara to present the budget to the Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly in the interest of the people. Okocha emphasized that for the Governor to risk interference with an Assembly that did not meet the statutory quorum amounted to putting something on nothing.
