By Deborah Nnamdi
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of fuelling division in the state.
Okocha, who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt on Thursday, faulted Fubara’s decision to present the 2025 budget to a faction of the state House of Assembly, stressing that Rivers might experience the worst political crisis.
Recall that Fubara presented the N1.1 trillion budget to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led House of Assembly in December.
The four members led by the Speaker, Oko-Jumbo, had earlier read Governor Fubara’s letter requesting permission to present the appropriation bill at their plenary.
However, Okocha said Fubara disregarded the rule of law and judicial pronouncement in his budget presentation.
He said: “I expected the governor to use the new year to extend an olive branch and promote peace, but instead, he continues to fuel the flames of division.
“It is unimaginable that a governor with such a rich background in finance and governance would choose to sidestep legal processes.
“The Assembly has 30 functional members, yet the budget was presented in a setting that courts have described as illegitimate.
“At least, he has seen the presentation of the budget, and I want to avail you people of the opportunity of the fact that I was Chief of Staff and that spanned through 2012-2015. What it means is that I have witnessed three budget presentations.
“In this sense, an Assembly of 32, we lost one to death, one claimed to have resigned, and then we have 30 functional Assembly seats. 27 of the Assembly members are on this side, and three members of the Assembly are on this side.
“Is it not anathema that a budget of a state as prominent and as important as Rivers State will be presented to an illegal setting?
“The Court of Appeal, in their various judgments on issues like these, have touched on these issues, and I refer to them as a forum, maybe a forum of friends but certainly not legislators,” Okocha added.
