Impeachment Threat: “Amaewhule Wants to Become Governor Through the Back Door” – PDP Chieftain

Daboikiabo Warmate, a senior member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused Martins Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, of attempting to assume the governorship through unconstitutional means.

Speaking on *Daily Break* on Trust TV on Friday, Warmate linked Amaewhule’s actions to the ongoing controversy over the state budget, suggesting that the speaker stood to gain personally.

“Speaker Martins Amaewhule wants to become governor through the back door, but he will not succeed. He is the primary beneficiary of this issue,” Warmate said.

He referenced Section 122 of the Constitution, which allows a governor to spend from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for up to six months after a budget expires if a new one has not been approved—a provision known as “default appropriation.”

Warmate described the House of Assembly’s actions as a direct affront, not only to the presidency but also to the broader institutions of governance, including the Senate and the House of Representatives.

He noted that the 2025 budget was prepared by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, vetted by the state’s sole administrator, presented to the President, and transmitted to the National Assembly. With the budget now passed by the National Assembly, Rivers State has an active appropriation law in place.

“Any attempt to have the governor reinterpret or override the law at the state level is misplaced. The law exists, and all expenditures under it are fully constitutional,” Warmate said.