June 25 (THEWILL) — Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday transmitted the state’s 2026-2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The fiscal framework was presented during an emergency plenary session convened by the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, its first sitting in about four months.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule announced receipt of the document after reading a letter from Governor Fubara requesting the Assembly’s consideration and approval of the MTEF, a statutory document that sets out government revenue projections, expenditure ceilings, and macroeconomic assumptions for three years.
However, despite acknowledging receipt of the framework, lawmakers declined to commence debate on the document, deferring deliberations to a later date before adjourning the sitting.
Thursday’s plenary marked the Assembly’s return after a prolonged absence from legislative business.
The House last met in February when it screened and cleared commissioner nominees nominated by Governor Fubara before adjourning sine die.
Before that session, lawmakers had convened on January 8, 2026, when they initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor at the height of the political crisis that engulfed the state.
The Assembly subsequently adjourned and failed to reconvene on its scheduled resumption date, further deepening uncertainty over legislative activities in the state.
The submission of the MTEF is considered a critical milestone in the budgeting cycle, as the framework forms the basis for the preparation and presentation of annual appropriation bills.
Without its approval, the process leading to the state’s 2027 budget could face delays.
Political observers view Thursday’s development as one of the clearest indications yet of renewed engagement between the executive and the legislature following months of strained relations that culminated in impeachment threats, legal battles, and interventions by key political stakeholders.
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