At its plenary session held on Wednesday, 25th June 2025, the Senate received and considered the report of its Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State Emergency Rule on the 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill, and thereafter approved the sum of ₦1,485,662,592,442 as the official 2025 Budget of the Rivers State Government.

Presenting the report, the Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee, Sen. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), clarified that the invocation of emergency rule in Rivers State was not intended to be a substitute for democratic governance. Rather, he described it an extraordinary constitutional measure provided under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to restore order, promote peace, and guarantee institutional stability during times of political disruption.

In accordance with the Senate’s directive, Sen. Bamidele explained that the Committee convened a technical briefing session on 19th June 2025 with key officials of the Rivers State Government, including the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd.), the Accountant General, the Permanent Secretary, and heads of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The session aimed to review the details and fiscal justifications underpinning the proposed ₦1.48 trillion budget.

In his remarks, Sen. Bamidele outlined the Committee’s key observations as follows:

• That the Bill aligned with the objectives of the Emergency Rule, ensuring governance continuity.
• That the Bill supported the Rivers State Development Plan (2017- 2027)
• That 85% of the budget provisions reflected project continuity from the previous year
• That 72% of the budget provisions allocated to capital expenditure was targeted at economic recovery and infrastructural development
• That 28% of the budget allocated to recurrent spending highlighted development priorities.
• That N50 billion was allocated for the payment of backlogs of pension and gratuities
• That the proposed budget was reviewed upwards to address judicial reforms.

In light of these findings, the Committee recommended and the Senate approved the total sum of ₦1,485,662,592,442, comprising of ₦120,809,305,904 for Debt Service; ₦287,376,727,373 for Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure; and ₦1,077,250,859,164 for Capital Expenditure

In March 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers State, in response to the inability of the State House of Assembly to perform its constitutional responsibilities. Following from this, the Senate constituted an Ad-Hoc Committee under the leadership of Sen. Bamidele, to provide oversight and examine the Appropriation Bill forwarded to the National Assembly.