“Rivers People Facing Gloomy Future” – Fubara Blames Amaewhule-Led Assembly for Blocking Implementation of Supreme Court Judgment

The Rivers State Government has raised alarm over what it described as deliberate efforts by the Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly to frustrate Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s compliance with the Supreme Court judgment delivered on February 28, 2025.

In a press statement released by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, the government accused the Assembly of engaging in actions that threaten the state’s economic stability and governance. The Commissioner warned that the consequences of the Assembly’s continued defiance could be dire for civil servants, pensioners, and the general population, as the state risks being cut off from federal allocations due to non-compliance with the court’s directive.

Governor Fubara had, in a statewide broadcast shortly after the court ruling, expressed his commitment to peace and announced full acceptance of the judgment, which addressed multiple issues including the annulment of the 2024 local government elections and the requirement to re-present the 2025 budget to the Assembly. He also instructed local government chairmen affected by the judgment to hand over to their respective Heads of Local Government Administrations.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), led by retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli, subsequently held a stakeholders’ meeting and announced a new date—August 9, 2025—for fresh local government elections in line with the court’s ruling.

However, tensions escalated when the Amaewhule-led Assembly issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Governor to re-present the 2025 budget. This was followed by an arrest warrant for the RSIEC chairman and commissioners, a declaration of the Governor’s commissioner appointments as illegal, and an allegation of age falsification against the state’s Chief Judge.

In an attempt to restore harmony between the executive and legislative arms of government, Governor Fubara invited the Assembly to a meeting through a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo. The lawmakers rejected the letter, questioning the mode of delivery. The Governor later sent a personally signed letter notifying the Assembly of his intention to present the budget on March 12, 2025, but he was denied entry into the Assembly complex on that day.

Undeterred, the Governor sent another letter dated March 13, proposing to present the budget on March 19 or any other convenient date in March. According to the state government, the letter was rejected again, both by Assembly staff and a courier service. As a result, the letter was published in *The Nation* and *The Guardian* newspapers on March 14 as a substituted means of delivery.

Despite these efforts, the Assembly claimed that Governor Fubara failed to communicate his intentions properly and went ahead to adjourn legislative activities indefinitely.

Commissioner Joe Johnson dismissed the Assembly’s claims as false, asserting that the Governor has made consistent and documented efforts to implement the Supreme Court judgment. He warned that the state’s inability to re-present and pass the 2025 budget could lead to a halt in salary payments, pensions, and other essential government obligations, especially as the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation have been directed to withhold federal allocations pending full implementation of the court’s decision.

Calling for a rethink, Johnson urged the lawmakers to stop misrepresenting the Governor’s actions and instead work toward restoring normalcy in the state. He cautioned that failure to act in the interest of the people could plunge Rivers State into severe economic and political turmoil.