Breaking news:Amidst assembly crisis, Rivers govt approves N800 billion budget for 2024 – see details

The Rivers State Executive Council, in a meeting on Monday in Port Harcourt, approved N800.3 billion as appropriation bill for 2024 fiscal year.

The meeting, the fifth under Governor Siminalayi Fubara was held hours after 27 out of the 31 lawmakers in the Rivers House of Assembly announced their defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing reporters after the meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, gave the figures for capital and recurrent expenditures as N412 billion and N361 billion respectively.

“Essentially, the budget is focused on some key areas with infrastructure taking the lead with N128 billion of the budget followed by education, health and security,” Mr Johnson said.

The Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, who also spoke to reporters gave the budget size as N800,392,485,433.00.

“We believe, by the time it gets to the state House of Assembly, the public will be made to see and understand all the projections and fundamentals,” Mr Danagogo said.

Governor Fubara will have to present the budget to the House of Assembly which has been split into two factions as a result of the feud between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Some of the lawmakers in late October initiated an impeachment proceeding against Governor Fubara, a development that led to the bombing of a section of the assembly complex.

The lawmakers who are against Governor Fubara are backed by Mr Wike

Martin Amaewhule is the speaker of the faction which is backed by Mr Wike while Edison Ehie, a former leader of the assembly who was removed for not endorsing Governor Fubara’s impeachment, later emerged the speaker of the other faction which is in support of the governor.

Both camps on Monday held parallel sittings under heavy security mounted by police operatives after which the 27 members backed by Mr Wike announced their defection to APC.

Mr Ehie’s faction is yet to make a statement about the defection.

The PDP has, however, asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare the seats of the 27 lawmakers vacant.

It is not clear, for now, if the lawmakers will close ranks so that the governor can present the 2024 budget or if Mr Fubara would present the budget proposal to the four members loyal to him for consideration and passage