In a move that is meant to preserve the dignity and prestige of the Rivers State House of Assembly, speaker of the House, Victor Oko-Jumbo has warned the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the commercial banks that have financial dealings with the state government to beware of communications from Martins Amaewhule and his 24 friends that had defected from the PDP to the APC.
In a letter to the banks and other stakeholders, including the state deputy governor, the SSG, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, the state accountant general and auditor-general as well as the head of service, Oko-Jumbo urged them to disregard any letter from Amaewhule, as he and his friends were imposters and no longer members of the state assembly.
His letter came about 24 hours after Amaewhule had written to the CBN and the others, urging them to block the governor, Sim Fubara, from accessing or spending funds deposited in the state government’s accounts until he submits the 2024 budget to them.
The letter said “the news of the illegal sitting of the 25 former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, crowded our television screens and social media space yesterday, the 15th Day of July, 2024, where they, having no legal capacity or moral basis, passed a resolution to the effect that the Governor, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, is not permitted to authorize the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State.
“The resolution further threatened that the House will declare a Government shutdown on expenditure, until an Appropriation Bill for the 2024 fiscal year is presented and passed by the House.
“The resolution furthermore directed the governor to desist from further authorization of withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State and to direct all Rivers State Government Ministries, Commissions, Agencies, Departments and Extra-Ministerial Departments to desist from spending taxpayers funds until the 2024 Appropriation Bill is laid before the former members parading themselves, albeit unashamedly, as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
The letter reminded the CBN and the other organs of the government that “on the 11th Day of December, 2023, at the 87th Legislative sitting of the House, former Speaker, Martin Amaewhule and the 24 former members defected from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“By virtue of section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution which are self executing, and consequent upon their defection, on the 13th Day of December, 2023, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS, Esq, PhD, as the then duly recognised Speaker of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, by virtue of a court order granted by Hon Justice Danagogo on the 12th Day of December, 2023 in Suit No. PHC/3030/CS/2023, and pursuant to section 109(2) of the 1999 Constitution, declared their seats vacant.
“Consequent to the above Constitutional provisions and the declaration of their seats vacant, the recognised 10th Rivers State House of Assembly is the one led by Rt. Hon Victor Oko-Jumbo. Thus, the Rivers State Government has ceased paying any form of salaries, allowances or statutory remunerations to the former members.
“The 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, which is the legitimate House under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo is the only one recognised by law and the Rivers State Government, and thus has been receiving all statutory allocations due the House of Assembly and has been discharging its financial obligations by paying the salaries of the recognised Honourable members of the House, their aides, and allowances of the public servants in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Martin Amaewhule and the 24 ex-lawmakers hinged their resolution on section 122 of the 1999 Constitution. That section empowers a State Governor to continue to make appropriations for 6 months, from the budget of the previous fiscal year, where for any reason he is unable to present an appropriation Bill to the House.
“May I remind the defected members that His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly, under the leadership of the then Speaker Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, DSSRS, and it was duly passed on the 13th Day of December, 2023 and assented to on the 14th Day of December, 2023.
“This House awaits to receive from His Excellency, the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the next 3 financial years, pursuant to section 10 of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law, No 8 of 2010, in order to prepare for the 2025 fiscal year.
“The general public is therefore called upon to disregard and ignore those misguided former members, and also discountenance their illegal actions.”
For the umpteenth time, the speaker called on INEC to take steps to conduct a bye-election to fill in the vacant seats created as a result of the defection of Amaewhule and his friends.
