RIVERS State House of Assembly(RSHA) Speaker, Rt.Hon. Adams Dabotorudima yesterday resigned his position paving the way for the ex- Speaker Rt. Hon Ikuinyi- Owaji Ibani, a member representing Andoni Constituency in the assembly, to become the new Speaker.
Ibani was the Speaker until the Court of Appeal on election petition tribunal nullified his election into the House last year and consequently, resigned as the Speaker. He was reelected during the December 10 legislative rerun elections in the state.
Dabotorudima resigned shortly after administering oath of office on those declared winners by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC). In his acceptance speech, Ikuinyi, called on all the lawmakers to look beyond party affiliations and cooperate for the good of the state. The House yesterday passed the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N470 billion into law.
The N470 billion budget was presented to the House on Wednesday by the state governor, Nyesom Wike after which the House immediately committed it to committee stage. The House Leader, Hon. Martin Amaewhule who presented the report on behalf of the Appropriation Committee, stated that from the committee’s findings, the 2016 budget performed above average.