Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has presented N800 billion 2024 budget estimates to the Rivers State lawmakers at the Government House.
The budget presentation happened at about the same time demolition of the state house of assembly complex commenced on instruction of the state government.
Fubara noted that the decision to demolish and rebuild the Assembly Complex is due to the structural defects which arose mainly as a result of the recent explosion and fire incident which rendered the main building unfit for human use.
The presentation of the budget to the Edison Ehie-led group took place at a hall in the Government House, due to the demolition of the state assembly complex which started on Wednesday morning.
This development comes after Edison Ehie was affirmed as the Speaker of the House by a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt on Tuesday.
These incidents have added to the controversial happenings in Rivers State, as Monday saw 27 lawmakers who are loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, defect from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressives’ Congress (APC), giving division within the PDP as the reason for their defection.
None of the members who recently moved from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was in attendance.
Recall that earlier in October, the assembly quarter of the complex was set ablaze by unidentified persons, amidst rumors of impeachment of Governor Sim Fubara.
The PDP on Tuesday, also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a fresh election for the 27 State Constituencies in Rivers State which become vacant after the defection of the 27 former State lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly to the All-Progressives Congress (APC).
|Arise News/Channels
