By Ayo Kehinde
The political crisis in Rivers State escalated on Monday, as the State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, served a notice of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The allegations of gross misconduct were raised in two separate letters signed by 26 lawmakers and addressed to House Speaker Amaewhule.
The lawmakers’ letter, dated March 14, accused Fubara of reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, contrary to Sections 120, 121 (1)(2), and 122 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
They also accused the governor of several other allegations, including withholding funds to the Rivers State House of Assembly since April 2024.
The notice of allegations reads in part: “That His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, refused to present the Rivers State Appropriation Bill, 2024 to the Rivers State House of Assembly contrary to Section 121(1)(2) of the Constitution and disobeyed the order of the Federal High Court in Suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/1613/2023, which declared that “thus as it stands in law, no Appropriation Bill of Rivers State has been presented neither has any of such Bill being passed into law as the purported presentation, passage and signing into law of the Appropriation Bill 2024 of Rivers State is void ab initio” and ordered him to present the Appropriation Bill 2024 to the House.
“That His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State authorised or approved withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State in the 2024 financial year of Rivers State without an appropriation law duly passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly contrary to Section 120 of the Constitution.
”That His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State violated Section 122 of the Constitution by authorising expenditures from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State even after the Rivers State House of Assembly declared a shutdown on Rivers State Government expenditure in a resolution passed at the 4′ Legislative day of the Second Session of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly which held on Monday the 15th day of July 2024, thereby relegating the constitutional resolution passed by the House to the background.
“In doing this, your attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 188(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides thus: ‘Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (whether or not any statement made by holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated’,” the speaker said in a letter sent to Fubara.
“Please be guided accordingly and do accept my esteemed regards.”
The development is the latest in the series of political crises that have engulfed Rivers state in the last two weeks after the Supreme Court restored the leadership of the State Assembly to Martins Amaewhule who, along with 26 others, are loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
