The political climate in Rivers State has intensified once again as the Rivers State House of Assembly escalates its oversight battle with the executive arm.
At the center of the latest face-off is an ad-hoc investigative committee chaired by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol probing the financial disbursements made by the state government to PAMO University of Medical Sciences from 2017 to the present.
The Trigger: Failure to Honor Summons
The legislative panel issued a stern warning after key government functionaries and institutional heads failed to show up for a scheduled hearing.
Who Was Summoned: The Commissioner for Finance, the State Accountant-General, and the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University.
Who Appeared: Only the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peter Nwagor, was present at the Wednesday proceedings.
The Ultimatum: Expressing strong
displeasure over the absence of the other officials, the committee gave a fresh directive for the affected parties to appear in person on Thursday, September 24. The House warned that failure to comply would compel them to invoke their constitutional powers and issue warrants of arrest.
Background to the Tensions
This legislative clampdown stems from deep-seated budget oversight disputes between the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration.
Earlier during the legislative review of the 2026 fiscal appropriations, the Assembly heavily scrutinized and ultimately deleted a multi-billion-naira proposed allocation meant for Pamo University, citing transparency concerns regarding scholarship funds and past financial support extended to the private institution. Although the state budget eventually scaled through, the lingering questions over historical fund tracking have triggered this comprehensive probe.
As political alignments shift and institutional boundaries are tested across Port Harcourt, PORTHARCOURTBLOG will keep you updated as this developing story unfolds.
0 Comments