Pro-Wike Lawmakers’ Order Against Rivers Govt’s Budget Spending Unenforceable, Says APP

A frontline opposition party, Action Peoples Party (APP), has berated the embattled 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in Rivers State over what it called their unenforceable directives to Governor Sim Fubara to stop spending funds from the consolidate revenue of the state, describing the said resolution as a joke taken too far ‘by a group of impostors who are struggling for political bread and butter’.

APP, in a strong worded statement signed by its national deputy publicity secretary, Emeka Uwazurike, and made available to journalists in Abuja, dismissed the said resolution as another legislative rascality by ex-lawmakers whose seats have long been declared vacant by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The party noted with emphasis that the said N800bn budget for 2024 fiscal year for which the sacked lawmakers had ordered the governor to re-present was duly passed by the then constitutionally recognised Edison Ehie-led Rivers State House of Assembly and re-presenting the budget which is already an Act of the State Assembly would amount to gross constitutional breach and disservice to the good people of Rivers State.

A faction of Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule had on Monday asked Governor Fubara to stop spending funds from the state’s consolidated funds after the governor had ignored their seven-day ultimatum to represent the 2024 budget before it.

But, APP in reaction in Abuja, asked Governor Fubara to ignore the said order, insisting that the governor does not need to take orders from a group of former lawmakers whose sack order was still valid.

APP said: “as far as the order sacking the Martin Amaewhule led group of former lawmakers has not been vacated, the 27 including their speaker Martin Amaehule remain sacked and the governor have no business with such group. They deserve to be ignored if not, it means that one day a group not known by law can wake up ask the governor not to operate from Government House because he did not attend their new yam festival.”

The party described the said resolution as another calculated attempt to distract the governor from doing the good work many can now attest to for the oil rich state .

“We want to urge the governor here to go ahead with the good work he is doing in the state unhindered.

“APP as an opposition party in the land will continue to fight injustice and this is one injustice we as a party will not condone,” the party stated.