Fubara yet to submit budget, busy pursuing second-term ambition — Wike slams Rivers governor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the delayed presentation of the state’s budget, accusing him of prioritising political ambition over governance responsibilities.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said the governor had not submitted the budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly, warning that the situation could disrupt government operations and service delivery.

“The governor is yet to submit his budget to the House of Assembly, but he is busy pursuing his second-term ambition,” Wike said.

He argued that the continued delay in the appropriation process was affecting governance in the state and undermining the effective delivery of public services.

The remarks come amid an ongoing political dispute in Rivers State that has split the House of Assembly into rival factions loyal to Wike and Fubara respectively.

The crisis escalated after Fubara presented a N1.1 trillion 2025 budget in December 2024 to a faction of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, aligned with him. However, a Supreme Court ruling on February 28 upheld a Federal High Court decision restricting federal allocations to the state until the budget is properly presented to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Assembly, which is aligned with Wike.

Following the judgment and political mediation efforts by President Bola Tinubu, Fubara wrote to the Amaewhule-led Assembly requesting a new date for budget presentation.

Despite the notification, the governor and some of his officials were reportedly denied access to the Assembly complex on the scheduled day.

Fubara has maintained that his actions were in compliance with the Supreme Court directive, insisting that he made efforts to engage the Assembly as required by law. However, lawmakers loyal to Wike have rejected this position, insisting that the governor has not properly presented the 2025 budget and must restart the process in line with constitutional provisions.

The Assembly faction also accused the governor of failing to formally communicate with them, deepening the political standoff over the state’s fiscal process.