The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday, presented the N800 billion Appropriation Bill for the 2024 fiscal year to the four-member Rivers House of Assembly.
The four-member assembly is led by Edison Ehie, a former House Leader who was removed from office for refusing to support an attempt to impeach Governor Fubara by some of his colleagues.
Rivers assembly comprises 31 members. The rest of the 27 members, on Monday, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Governor Fubara presented the budget a day after Mr Ehie’s faction obtained a court order permitting them to carry out legislative business without interference.
The event was said to have taken place inside the Rivers State Government House.
The assembly has been enmeshed in crisis since late October when some lawmakers attempted to impeach the governor, a development that led to the bombing of a section of the complex.
The assembly crisis, triggered by the political feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has split the lawmakers into two factions.
The faction, which has 27 members, is led by Martin Amaewhule as Speaker, and is backed by Mr Wike, while Mr Ehie’s faction is loyal to Governor Fubara.
Both factions have held parallel sittings since late October but the crisis got messier on Monday with Mr Wike-backed faction announcing their defection to the APC after Monday’s sitting.
Following their defection, Mr Ehie’s faction on Tuesday obtained a court order empowering them to hold legislative business without interference.
Mr Fubara apparently relied on the court order to present the budget to the four-member assembly.
