The Guardian (Nigeria)

Stop running Rivers without budget, obey peace agreement, APC advises Fubara

* Drama as Shettima asks Fubara to greet Wike in Presidenti­al Villa

- From Matthew Ogune, Abuja

CARETAKER Chairman, All Progressiv­es Congress ( APC), Rivers State chapter, Tony Okocha, has urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to stop running the state without a budget and obey the peace agreement of President Bola Tinubu by representi­ng the state budget before the state House of Assembly.

Describing the developmen­t as a gross financial misconduct by the governor, the APC chieftain accused Fubara of jettisonin­g an agreement he entered into with the President to represent the budget to a complete House for peace to reign in the state.

Okocha offered the advice, yesterday, in Abuja, at an event to discuss the imperative of revisiting the president’s interventi­on for progress in Rivers State.

Okocha, who lamented that the governor was going against the laws of the land by ignoring the state Assembly, regretted that it has got to the point where the Assembly now overrides the governor for declining four important bills passed to him by the lawmakers.

He said: “They started it; few of them were running to the President to intervene in the matter. And the President, as busy as his schedules are, called the Rivers people together for a peace meeting. I was there at the meeting with other stakeholde­rs, and the governor agreed to implement all the agreements. Now, the way he rushed to present the budget before four Assembly members, he should also go back and represent the budget before the complete House. It is not a difficult task. M

EANWHILE, there was a mild drama in the Presidenti­al Villa as Vice President Kashim Shettima called Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State to greet his predecesso­r and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Shettima made the request during a meeting between governors and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidenti­al Villa, yesterday. Some service chiefs were also in attendance at the meeting.

 ?? PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ATEKO ?? Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu ( left); Chairman of the seven- member committee to conduct the February 17, 2024, APC gubernator­ial primary election in Edo State/ Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, and National Chairman, All Progressiv­es Congress ( APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, during the inaugurati­on of the committee in Abuja… yesterday.
PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ATEKO Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu ( left); Chairman of the seven- member committee to conduct the February 17, 2024, APC gubernator­ial primary election in Edo State/ Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, and National Chairman, All Progressiv­es Congress ( APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, during the inaugurati­on of the committee in Abuja… yesterday.

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