The Rivers state House of Assembly Monday, at its 173th legislative sitting, overrode the assent of Governor Siminialayi Fubara to pass the Rivers State Public Procurement (Amendment)Bill 2024 into law.
The House took the decision to override the governor after he withheld his assent.
The House passed the bill on the 26th of March, 2024 and transmitted same to the governor for assent, which the governor declined.
Speaking on the bill which was represented by the Majority Leader, Hon. Major Jack, and debated upon by members, the Speaker, Martin Chike Amaewhule, reiterated the essence of the bill, which is to secure taxpayers’ money and to ensure that the funds are not spent on frivolities and twisted contracts.
Amaewhule bemoaned a situation where due process is relegated to the background, contracts awarded without legal backing and the state being governed in a dictatorial panache.
The speaker added that despite all the malfeasance, the House will continue to uphold the laws of Rivers state and the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as altered; adding that if the governor continues in this manner, the House will at the appropriate time take more stringent measures.
