UPDATE: Amaewhule-led faction of Rivers Assembly to write Gov Fubara on delay to re-present 2024 budget.

The Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly has unanimously agreed to write to Governor Siminialayi Fubara, to notify him of the delay in re-presenting the 2024 Budget to the House.

Amaewhule hinted that they are yet to receive the State’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

TrackNews recalls that Governor Fubara had presented the N800m 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Assembly.The Bill was subsequently passed in December 2023.

Ehie, who has now resigned as the Speaker of the House and member representing Ahoada East State Constituency 2, had declared vacant the seats of the factional Speaker, Amaewhule, and members of his faction numbering 25, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to conduct fresh elections to fill up the vacuum already created in the Assembly.

Earlier, the House gave the First Reading to a Bill which seeks to amend the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Law No. 4 of 2015.
Presenting the bill sponsored by the Majority Leader, who is also the Member representing Akuku Toru Constituency I, Major Jack, he averred that the Bill seeks to amend some sections of the Principal Law, and when passed, will make the Traditional Rulers law in tune with current realities.

In the same vein, the House gave the First Reading to a Bill that seeks to repeal the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-owned Property (Prohibition) Law No. 7 of 2022.

The bill was sponsored and presented by the Member representing Port Harcourt Constituency II, Tonye Smart Adoki.