A legal practitioner and the Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Samson Osagie, on Thursday asked the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to put aside pride and negotiate with the Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly.
Osagie made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Fielding questions on the programme, Osagie urged Fubara to swallow his pride and resolve the rift over the 2024 budget.
According to the lawyer, “Governor Fubara needs to swallow his pride because obeying the law is in his best interest.”
“He is in a conundrum right now. He can’t continue to govern a State without legally approved budget. The law does not favour how the State is being administered without a legally approved budget.
“Let him go, swallow his pride, negotiate with the legislators and let them resume legislative duties. He is the governor and has all it takes. The only way for his survival is for him to obey the law. And to get along with the legislators regardless of the waters that have gone under the bridge.”
Osagie, who is also the Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, stated that Fubara has a lot to lose if he keeps implementing a budget that is not recognized by the Rivers lawmakers.
The lawmaker emphasized that the Governor should obey the court ruling, while awaiting the final decision of the Supreme Court on the issue.
He said, “I do not think he has anything to lose if he re-presents the budget and the Supreme Court rules in his favour. It means that he has a validly approved document of the people of Rivers State.”
“But he has a lot to lose if he continues to implement a budget that is not validly passed by the state legislature. It becomes a constitutional issue. And it can lead to other unpleasant consequences given the trajectory of the political situation of Rivers State,” Osagie said.
Recall that the Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court which set aside the N800 billion Budget passed by five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly which was led by Edison Ehie.
The appellate court on Thursday dismissed the appeal filed by the Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara on grounds that it lacked merit.
The court also held that Governor Fubara withdrew his counter-affidavit at the lower court in the matter. And as such, cannot commence an appeal in a matter he did not challenge at the trial stage.
In the unanimous judgement, the Appeal Court stated that Governor Fubara is expected to apply the rule of law. And not the rule of might.
The court further says that the situation in Rivers State House of Assembly is an executive dictatorship by the Governor. And a joke taken too far.
Justice Omotosho had nullified the 2024 Rivers Budget passed by pro-Fubara lawmakers. He also set aside the presentation and passage of the Rivers State 2024 Budget.
Omotoso, therefore, ordered the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to re-present the budget to the legally constituted House of Assembly under Martin Amaewhule.
source: Channels TV
Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U