Some elders in Rivers State have filed a motion ex parte urging the court to stop Governor Siminalaye Fubara from presenting the 2024 budget afresh to the state House of Assembly.
The governor had in December presented an N800bn 2024 budget to a faction of the Assembly, comprising four lawmakers.
Following the passage of the budget by the lawmakers, Fubara subsequently signed the budget into law.
The Rivers elders, through their lawyer, Kayode Ajulo (SAN), in the motion exparte, called on the court to restrain the state House Assembly and the Speaker of the House from allowing the 27 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to participate in the plenary.
Ajulo particularly urged the court to take cognizance of the motion on notice attached with the suit and stop the holding of plenary sessions by the 27 members of the state House of Assembly out of the 32 members.
The Rivers Assembly became factionalised following a move by 27 lawmakers loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike to impeach Fubara.
The crisis saw the destruction of the Assembly complex with an explosive on the night of October 29.
President Bola Tinubu, however, waded in in December and summoned the parties to a meeting in Abuja on December 18, where they signed an eight-point resolution to settle the political crisis.
Meanwhile, in fulfilment of the Abuja resolution, the Rivers Assembly, on Wednesday, conducted a fresh screening and confirmed the 9 pro-Wike commissioners who resigned from Fubara’s cabinet,
The commissioner nominees, who appeared before the lawmakers led by the Speaker, Amaewhule, on Wednesday morning, were given a clean bill of health after they made a brief introduction of themselves.
