The new Rivers 2025 budget prepared under emergency rule which was presented Thursday, May 22, 2025, by the presidency to the National Assembly has elicited cold reception back in Rivers State, with reaction coming gradually.
For most of Thursday, no public commentator was ready to respond to questions. Many rather showed anger over the entire emergency rule, while others said the person on seat (Sole Administrator) was unknown to them.
Yet, many others showed anger that the budget letter failed to indicate important points such as revenue sources and amounts including Federal allocation, internal amounts, any loans, etc.
The suspended governor (Sim Fubara) had proposed N1.18trn whereas the sole administrator proposed N1.48trn, thus setting tongues wagging on how the emergency rule administrator found more sources of revenue than the man who had been on the seat for almost two years.
The first group to fire a shot at the new budget is a leading good governance advocacy group, Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative (PCCEI) headed by Courage Nsirimovu who has lambasted the president for promoting rascality by his act.
Nsirimovu, a lawyer, who has challenged the declaration of a state of emergency on Rivers State in court said in a statement released May 22, that the usurpation of the powers and roles of the governor is also a ‘terrible’ act. He noted that Tinubu is acting against a past ruling in 2004 which clearly determined where the president’s power stopped-in the declaration of a state of emergency.
“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.
Read also: Tinubu transmits N1.481trn 2025 Rivers budget to N’assembly
“The ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of A.G Federation V. A.G Lagos State (2004) puts a big wedge on the constitutionality of the actions of the President, except he wants to continue in impunity.
“In the case above, the issue of declaration of state of emergency was treated and the decision of the Court was to the effect that; though S. 305 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for declaration of State of Emergency, it doesn’t empower the President to suspend or remove a democratically elected Governor.
“The President’s usurpation of the powers of the Governor of Rivers State is so painful in the face of very weak institutions like the judiciary which should be the hope of the people to address the ills of the President”.
According to Nsirimovu, the conduct of the president was made worse by a National Assembly that he said has lost bearing.
The peoples advocate said failure of institutions that should checkmate abuses in democracy engender loss of faith in democracy; a level Nigeria has now attained.
He drew attention to the fact to incidents of undue interference even in the judiciary are helping promote impunity by the executive.
“When a people lose faith in the institutions of democracy (Judiciary, Legislature and Executive) it means that the social contract has failed and the next scenario is better left for you to imagine. We have got to that tipping point.
“Only today, the CJN (Chief Justice of Nigeria) called for five files (suits) against the Sole Administrator in Rivers State and transferred all the matters to Abuja. The Judiciary and Legislature are now tools in the hands of the Executive, hence this executive rascality and impunity.”
The Pilex ED further stated: “The Supreme Court has mandated the Governor of Rivers State to represent the budget to the State Assembly and only he can do so.
“The Emergency rule is illegal and whatever the President builds on it will fall. The said action of the President to present the Rivers’ budget to the Senate is illegal and should be resisted one way or another”.
Others agreed with Msirimovu that only the order of the Supreme Court can be obeyed which was that the budget be presented to the Rivers State House of Assembly. Other sources however said as long as the Rivers State House of Assembly was on suspension as ratified by the Senate, the laws of the state including the budget can only now be passed by the National Assembly.
