With President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s transmission of the N1.48 trillion Rivers State Appropriation Bill for 2025 to the National Assembly for approval, it is now clear that the State of Emergency imposed on the state in March, 2025 by Tinubu may have tacitly consummated a total annexation of the state to the presidency, while opinion leaders in the state raise eyebrow over the desirability of the new budget in the second half of the year as against the N1.2 trillion budget for the full year by the deposed governor Sim Fubara, just as analysts argue that the budget will be dogged by controversies and uncertainties
By Edu Abade (Lagos) and Chinedu Ogu (Port Harcourt)
These are not the best of times for Rivers State and the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, members of the state House of Assembly and other public office holders affected by the suspension of democratic governance in the state.
In spite of the public outcry that trailed the declaration of emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025, President Tinubu has further nailed the hopes of Nigerians and particularly those of Rivers citizens by transmitting a new budget of the state, which was hurriedly packaged by the Sole Administrator, Ibok Ete Ibas to allegedly achieve a predetermined agenda, to the National Assembly for approval. As things stand at the moment, political analysts have posited that, there may be no question to the fact that both chambers of the National Assembly will do the bidding of the president, since they allegedly have largely been known to be strong allies of Tinubu, and do not have the guts to stand down any of his requests.
On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Tinubu had transmitted a budget proposal of N1.48 trillion for the Rivers State Government to the National Assembly for consideration and passage. The President said the budget proposal was necessary because of the nullification of the state’s 2025 budget by the Supreme Court. The breakdown of the Appropriation Bill, according to Tinubu, indicated that an amount of N324 billion will be channeled to infrastructure development, N166 billion will go to health care provision, another N75.6 billion will be spent on education, while the sum of N31.4 billion will go to the agriculture sector development. What is now referred to as Tinubu-Ibas budget for Rivers State in the public domain is expected to generate 6,000 jobs through the agricultural sector alone.
Tinubu said, “Please find forwarded herewith the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State for the consideration of the Senate.
“The National Assembly is expected to perform the role of the state legislature under the emergency rule framework. This spending plan prioritises investment in critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture, which is projected to generate approximately 6,000 jobs.
“Accordingly, I hereby forward the Rivers State Government 2025 Appropriation Bill and trust that it will receive the expeditious and favourable consideration of the Senate.”
After the reading of Tinubu’s letter at the floor of the Red Chamber, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio referred the budget proposal to the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State and urged the panel to review and report back promptly.
Already, the upper chamber of the National Assembly, led by Akpabio had summoned the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibas (rtd) and other key functionaries of the state to defend the 2025 budget before the Joint National Assembly Ad-hoc Committee to Oversee Emergency Rule in Rivers State.
The Senate President also assured Nigerians that it had determined to ensure the people of Rivers State “are not shortchanged due to the declaration of emergency rule by President Tinubu”.
Speaking in the chamber, Akpabio, who assured that the budget will be approved, had explained that due to the absence of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the National Assembly was empowered by the law to act on their behalf. He stated, “In the absence of the Rivers State House of Assembly, it is expected that the National Assembly acts on their behalf, hence the request for the approval of the Senate for the Rivers State Government 2025 Appropriation Bill.”
The appeal followed the President’s formal request for the National Assembly to consider and approve the Rivers State budget for 2025. The request underscored the Federal Government’s alleged involvement in the state’s financial matters due to the current emergency rule in Rivers State, which was proclaimed and officially gazetted since March.
The emergency rule has effectively placed the state under federal oversight, making the Senate approval a necessary step for the Rivers State government to access and utilize the proposed budget for the fiscal year.
Also, Tinubu’s request was conveyed in a letter read by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
This came amid the political crisis in Rivers State, which has affected normal legislative and budgetary processes.
After President Tinubu declared the emergency rule in Rivers State, Akpabio had subsequently constituted an 18-member committee on emergency rule under the chairmanship of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
At the inaugural meeting, Bamidele said both chambers of the National Assembly had agreed to hold a joint session to oversee the 2025 budget of the state, which the Sole Administrator laid before the parliament through President Tinubu. Bamidele assured Nigerians that the National Assembly “is determined to work closely with members of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee to Oversee Emergency Rule in Rivers State to ensure financial propriety and good governance. “It is our understanding with our colleagues in the House of Representatives that the Sole Administrator and other relevant functionaries of the state will all appear before the joint ad-hoc committee of both chambers of the National Assembly when it is time for them to defend the 2025 the budget at the National Assembly,” Bamidele said, assuring that the committee will do its best to provide effective, responsible and accountable oversight in the state.
The committee has just finalized on its work plan as well as the timetable that will ensure proper budget defence by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State. The budget defence will involve other state officials, especially the Accountant-General of Rivers State, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and relevant officials in charge of the economy of the state.
As Nigerians await the National Assembly’s final approval of the budget, there are mounting concerns that the powers that be are putting pressure on the suspended Governor Similalayi Fubara to defect to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to guarantee his return to the Brick House in Port Harcourt.
Those close to the camp of the embattled governor, who craved anonymity, have expressed concern that Fubara’s body language is tilting towards succumbing to the pressure and that in the days ahead, the governor may as well defect to the APC to pave the way for his reinstatement as governor sometime in September when the six-month emergency rule will end.
Many of Fubara’s supporters have insisted that if it pleased him, he can move to the APC, but he should be ready to lose substantial members of his support base in the state and beyond.
Political analysts who criticized Fubara for visiting President Tinubu last week while the latter was in Lagos for the Sallah holiday, made it clear that the visit signposted the embattled governor’s conclusion of his purported plans to shift base to the ruling party.
But as the presidency puts finishing touches to the complete annexation of the oil-rich state, the people of Rivers State and other Nigerians watching the developments unfold have expressed serious angst at the turn of events playing out in the country’s body polity, insisting that Nigeria’s democracy is being eroded under the present administration.
Reacting to the new development, a Port Harcourt-based lawyer and activist, Comrade Nsirimovu said that the presentation of Rivers State budget of N1.48 trillion to the Senate for approval by the President of Nigeria is not only illegal but done in bad faith.
Nsirimovu, who has challenged the declaration of state of emergence on Rivers State in Court, said the usurpation of the powers and roles of the governor amounts to terrorism, noting that President Tinubu is acting against a 2024 ruling, which clearly determined where the President’s power stopped in declaring a state of emergency.
“The ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of A. G. Federation VS A.G. Lagos State (2004) puts a big wedge on the constitutionality of the actions of the President, except he wants to continue in his impurity,” he said.
But the President in his presentation stated that Rivers State is currently under emergency rule proclaimed and duly gazetted in March 2025. Regulation 4, Sub Section 2(F) of emergency rule requires authorization for expenditure from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of a functional state legislature.
Sharing the same view with the President, a chieftain of APC in the State, Chief Tony Briggs told Tentacle that with emergency rule and in accordance with the provisions in the 1999 Constitution as amended, the National Assembly is expected to take over the legislative functions of the state Assembly, since the Assembly is not in session.
But Nsirimovu once again disagrees, saying the Supreme Court in its ruling mandated the Governor of Rivers State to re-present the budget to the State House of Assembly and only he could do so.
“The emergency rule is illegal and whatever the President builds on it will fail. The President’s action in presenting the Rivers Budget to the Senate is illegal and should be resisted,” Nsirimovu said.
Citing Section 81 of the Constitution, he argued that the President is only empowered to present the federal budget just as the Rivers State governor is the only one vested with the powers to present the state budget to the State House of Assembly.
A political commentator in the state, Ogbunde Weli told Tentacle that the President exhibited gross misconduct made worse by a National Assembly that has lost its bearing.
According to Weli, “The conduct of the President amounts to gross misconduct and the irony of this situation is that the National Assembly has also lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the people because one would have expected them to caution or check the excesses of the President by denying his demand”.
Weli said Tinubu’s appointment of a Sole Administrator for Rivers State and the confirmation by the National Assembly is a constitutional anomaly.
Analysts, however, doubt the workability of the budget, asking what Ibas is going to defend and how much of Rivers State challenges does he know?
Also, a member of the Simplified Movement, Frank Ebiri said the declaration of emergency rule and presentation of the budget by the President is a political and economic power struggle between the President and Nyesom Wike with Governor Fubara caught in the middle.
“How can one explain that the huge N1.48 trillion budget was prepared by a non-elected and non-indigene of Rivers State?” he queried, while expressing doubts about the transparency and accountability in the implementation of the budget.
A chieftain of PDP and former Adviser on Information to the governor, Opunabo Inko Taria, who shared the same view, urged members of the National Assembly not to pass the budget, pointing out that the budget has no constitutional backing and it was prepared without due process and accountability.
Taria, who maintained that the President’s objective is to highjack the Rivers State treasury, questioned the President for presenting N1.48 trillion to the National Assembly at the middle of the year as against the N1.2 trillion Governor Fubara presented in January for the whole year.
Tentacle’s investigations showed that none of the people who will defend, perform oversight functions and even implement the budget are from Rivers State, heightening their fear that the budget remains largely anti-Rivers State and shrouded in uncertainty and controversy.
