The Rivers State House of Assembly has officially declined the N100,000 Christmas bonus deposited into the personal bank accounts of lawmakers, a payment reportedly authorized by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In a formal statement released on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, the House characterized the credit alerts as “unsolicited” and maintained that no public funds should be spent without proper legislative oversight.
While state civil servants have celebrated the N100,000 bonus—a tradition the Governor has upheld for two years—the lawmakers moved swiftly to return the money to the state’s coffers.
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The statement was issued by Enemi George, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions, and Complaints.
It was titled: ‘Return of Unsolicited and Unapproved One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) Transferred to the Personal Accounts of Honourable Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara’.
George accused the Governor of repeatedly bypassing the legislature to withdraw funds from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Account since 2023, ignoring constitutional boundaries and Supreme Court rulings.
He also warned government staff against participating in what he described as “unlawful conduct.”
The statement provided a detailed account of the rejection:“Today, the 30th day of December 2025, honourable members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly received bank credit alerts of the sum of one hundred thousand naira (N100,000) each. The said unsolicited and unapproved amount was transferred on the instructions of the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, to the personal accounts of members. “Upon discovery of these unsolicited and unapproved transfers, honourable members of the House took immediate steps to formally return the said funds to the account of the Rivers State Government.
“As an institution established by law and guided strictly by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Rivers State House of Assembly maintains that all public expenditures must follow due process, including legislative approval.
“The governor, since assumption of office in 2023, has consistently drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Account of Rivers State without legislative approval, despite repeated warnings from the House, the judgment of the Supreme Court, and in defiance of the Constitution and the principles of separation of powers.
“Therefore, with the leave of Mr Speaker and the entire House, I use this medium to once again draw the attention of all staff of the Rivers State Government who connive with the governor and others to contravene the Constitution and laws of Rivers State to the fact that we have become aware of their unlawful conduct.
“We assure the good people of Rivers State that we will not relent in the performance of our constitutional duties.”
The Assembly is currently on recess until January 26, 2026.
This latest friction comes as Governor Fubara has yet to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill or submit the list of commissioner-nominees requested by the House.
Following a period of emergency rule, the Governor is currently functioning with only eight commissioners.
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