Senate Majority Leader Bamidele Defends Rivers Emergency Budget, Stresses Democracy Must Prevail

Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has clarified that the emergency rule imposed in Rivers State is not a substitute for democracy, emphasizing that it is only a constitutional measure meant to restore order amid ongoing political instability.

Speaking in Abuja during a review of Rivers State’s N1.4 trillion 2025 budget, Bamidele—who also chairs the Senate ad hoc committee overseeing the emergency administration—highlighted that emergency powers must serve the people, not undermine democracy.

“Emergency rule is not a replacement for democratic government in any political climate,” Bamidele said. “It is an extraordinary measure designed to restore order in times of disorder, peace in place of conflict, and stability instead of instability.”

Bamidele stressed that the committee is committed to ensuring that the funds allocated under the emergency rule are wisely and transparently spent for the benefit of the people of Rivers State.

“We are not only tasked with evaluating figures, but also with ensuring the faithful execution of the budget,” he noted.

Key sectors under review include:

• Road infrastructure

• Healthcare

• Education

• Security

“Our objective is to ensure that approved funds translate into meaningful development. When allocations on paper become tangible solutions on the ground, citizens’ trust in governance is restored,” he added.

Ibok-Ete Ibas, the sole administrator currently governing Rivers State, informed the Senate committee that his team faced significant challenges in preparing the budget due to withheld documents by certain state officials.

“Some state officials withheld critical information required to ensure a more complete capture of expenditures undertaken in the first quarter,” Ibas revealed.

Despite these limitations, Ibas defended the document as aligned with the 2017–2027 Rivers State Development Plan, aiming to promote economic growth, human capital development, and infrastructure improvement.

“The budget is crafted as a people-centred fiscal blueprint, responsive to present challenges and future development imperatives,” he said.

On March 18, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following months of intense political conflict and administrative paralysis. In response, Senate President Godswill Akpabio constituted an 18-member ad hoc committee to oversee the implementation of governance in the state.

Committee members include:

• Tahir Munguno

• Peter Nwebonyi

• Adamu Aliero

• Sani Musa

• Adetokunbo Abiru, among others, with Senator Bamidele as chair.