We Are Suffering, Pro-Wike Lawmakers Raise Allarm, Accuse Fubara of Frustrating Efforts at Reconciliation

The 27 pro-Wike lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly have accused Governor Siminalyi Fubara of frustrating them and their efforts to effect fully the verdict of the Supreme Court.

The lawmakers in press conference addressed by the Chairman, House Committee Information, Hon. Enemi Alabo George also accused Governor of subjecting them to suffering by withholding their salaries and allowances for one year and six months.

According to the lawmakers said that it was the governor that frustrated the budget presentation by rebuffing all efforts to re-present the budget to the state House of Assembly.

Hon. George said: “Last week, we were told that on his way to Ogoni for a programme, the governor made a stopover at the gate of the House of Assembly Quarters to grant an interview to the press.

“In that interview, he claimed that he had sent a letter to the House of Assembly indicating his intention to visit and present the appropriation bill, a claim we found rather astonishing as no such letter was received by the House of Assembly.

“His aides later alleged that they forwarded a letter through WhatsApp to some members of the House, which was also awkward, unprofessional and embarrassing.

“As I speak, the social media space is awash with stories about a purported letter from the Governor to the House of Assembly expressing his intention to visit the house to present the appropriation bill for the year 2025.

“Nothing can be farther from the truth. We want to state that there is no such letter before the House of Assembly or any of its staff. We challenge the Governor and his aides to produce an acknowledgment copy of such a letter or any evidence that such a letter was sent or received by the House of Assembly. It is untrue and unfortunate. The general public must, as a matter of importance, ignore such a claim

“It is now very obvious that if at all there was such a letter, the intended recipient was not the legislature, but the public, and the clear intention was to play to the gallery, whip up public sentiment, demonize the House of Assembly and set the public against us. This is demeaning, denigrating and perilously unfortunate.”

 

Disclosing how Governor Fubara treated them with disdain George said: “Recall after the recent Supreme Court judgement on the budget of our state, it became absolutely necessary for the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara, to present the appropriation bill to the legislature for consideration and passage.

“Also recall that immediately after the judgment, this house wrote to the Governor, calling on him to immediately present the budget for speedy consideration.

“It was our hope that by the 15th of March, 2025, we would have concluded the process of passing the appropriation bill into law, so as to give us enough time to approach the Federal Government to release funds meant for our state, which the judgement of the Supreme Court has seized

“This we did in the interest of our dear state and pursuit of peace, recognizing that no government can function optimally without a harmonious co-existence between the executive and the legislature.

“This letter was rejected and the staff of the House of Assembly who attempted to deliver the mails were brutalised at the gate of the Government House and sent back. Undeterred by this, the house resorted to using a courier service to deliver the mail. The Governor did not heed our call, nor did he demonstrate any intention to.

“Recall again that the Supreme Court’s judgment invalidated the appointment of most of the Commissioners of the state. To bridge this gap and avoid a vacuum, this house immediately wrote to the Governor to submit the list of commissioners for immediate screening.

“Our letter was again rejected at the government house, and we resorted to delivering the mail through a courier service. Rather than heed our call, the governor instructed them to go to court against us, which they have now done.

“The Governor went further to instruct all ministries, agencies and departments of government not to receive any correspondence from the Rivers State House of Assembly nor communicate with us in any manner.”

Mainlining their firm resolve to stand by the provision of the constitution which gives them independence as an arm of the government, the House spokesman said,  “We are an independent arm of government in line with the principles of horizontal separation of powers as expressed in Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

“It is in responding to the attitude that the supreme court said in its judgement:

‘A government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of the state under the 1999 constitution. In this case, the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is, there is no Government in Rivers State.”

“This Assembly has borne the brunt of this crisis. We have endured immense hardship. We have been battered almost beyond our carrying capacity. We have been punished unduly and unfairly for trying to perform our constitutional duties. Our governor must not extend this punishment to Rivers people. No, please, no. We must not allow it.

“We have seen hell. Our hallowed chamber was burnt down by the governor. The Governor brought down the House of Assembly Complex, demolished alongside our personal effect and belongings…

“Our Speaker’s residence was brutally attacked. Our residential quarters were brutally invaded by the governor.

“Our allowances have been seized for about a year and six months, and we continue to suffer. Yet we have resolved to put all of these behind us in the interest of our state so that our state can move forward. We cannot afford to punish our people because of our ego and personal interests.

“We have our aged pensioners who must receive their pensions. We have our teachers in public schools who we depend on for our children to be educated; they must be paid their salaries. We have government hospitals and health centers that our people rely on for discounted and affordable medical service

“We have public schools which depend on public funds for their daily running.

“The governor is playing with the lives and livelihoods of Rivers people. Let us please all call on him to do the right thing in the interest of our dear state and its people.”