…I’ve not anointed any candidate for Rivers guber election – minister
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday knocked Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, placing his second-term ambition above governance.
Wike expressed shock that Fubara has failed to present a budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The minister who spoke on live television, monitored by our correspondent, accused the governor of neglecting governance.
He said, “The governor is yet to submit his budget to the House of Assembly, but he is busy pursuing his second-term ambition”.
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Wike warned that the delay in presenting the budget could hamper the smooth running of government activities and the delivery of essential services to residents.
The dispute is rooted in the ongoing political rift between Fubara and Wike, which polarized the Rivers State House of Assembly into rival factions.
In December 2024, Fubara presented a N1.1 trillion 2025 budget proposal to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led faction of the Assembly, which is loyal to him.
However, on February 28, the Supreme Court affirmed a Federal High Court judgment barring the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation from releasing statutory allocations to Rivers State.
The apex court also directed the Central Bank to withhold the state’s allocations until the governor presents the appropriation bill to the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Assembly, which is aligned with Wike.
Following the judgment and reconciliation efforts by President Bola Tinubu, Fubara wrote to the Amaewhule-led Assembly requesting a new date for the presentation of the 2025 budget.
In the letter dated March 13 and personally signed by the governor, he proposed a convenient date in March for the presentation.
However, when he arrived at the Assembly quarters in Port Harcourt with some commissioners on the scheduled day, they were denied access despite prior notice.
Fubara maintained that his actions complied with the Supreme Court’s directive mandating that he present the budget to the Assembly.
However, the Rivers State House of Assembly, on Sunday, accused Fubara of insincerity in implementing the recent Supreme Court judgment, ordering him to present the 2025 budget afresh.
The lawmakers, who are loyal to Wike, alleged that, contrary to Fubara’s claim that he had written to the House for a budget presentation, they had not received any correspondence from him.
Wike also cleared the air, stating that he has not anointed any candidate for Rivers State governor in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
He said the Rainbow coalition must meet to decide on that.
