Concerns over the fiscal direction of Rivers State resurfaced on Wednesday after a former state party chairman disclosed that the 2026 budget has yet to be presented to the House of Assembly for approval.
Robinson Ewor, a former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, raised the issue during a visit by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to Ahoada East Local Government Area. He said the absence of an appropriated budget several weeks into the new fiscal year posed legal and administrative challenges.
According to Ewor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has not forwarded the 2026 budget proposal to the Rivers State Assembly for consideration, warning that any expenditure without legislative approval would amount to a breach of financial regulations. He added that effective governance depended on cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government.
Ewor further stated that collaboration among the executive, legislature and judiciary was necessary to deliver development outcomes to residents of the state.
The budget concern comes against the backdrop of a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State, which led President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in March 2025. The emergency rule was later lifted in September of the same year.
Although the Rivers State Executive Council approved a ₦1.85 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year on 2 January, the document has not been submitted to the House of Assembly for appropriation.
Earlier at the event, the Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government Council, Solomon Ochoma, welcomed the minister and described the visit as a demonstration of grassroots engagement. He said the council remained committed to unity and development and pledged continued alignment with Wike’s political direction.
Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Ahoada East I Constituency, Queen William, acknowledged Wike’s record of engaging women during his tenure as governor and said women in the area would continue to support his political activities.
In his address, Wike said the visit was intended to thank residents for their support for President Tinubu in the 2023 general election and to mobilise them ahead of the 2027 polls. He also highlighted infrastructure projects and youth employment initiatives carried out during his time as governor, noting that some projects were later discontinued.
