Abia Assembly Passes 2025 Appropriation Amendment Bill Into Law

The Abia State House of Assembly has passed into law the Abia State 2025 Appropriation Amendment (Virement) Bill, 2025, and the Abia State Development (Institutionalisation and Continuity) Bill, 2025.

The passage of the two bills on Tuesday followed the initial first, second and third readings and various amendments before their consideration at the committee stage during Tuesday’s plenary.

Announcing the passage of the Bills into Law, the Speaker, Rt Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, announced that the new laws, when assented to by the Governor, would be deemed to have come into force on 1st August, 2025, for HAB 41 and today, 16th December, 2025, for HAB 42.

Earlier in his lead debate, the Majority Leader, Uchenna Okoro explained that the Abia State Of Nigeria 2025 Appropriation Amendment (Virement) Bill which is a Bill for a Law to Vire the sum of One Hundred and Twenty Seven Billion, Six Hundred and Eighty-Seven Million, One Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty Five Naira (N127, 687, 196, 965) only for the services of Government of Abia State for the year ending 31st December, 2025 and for other related purposes seeks to transfer funds from areas where the funds are not necessarily needed to areas enable the Government function optimally.

He also explained that HAB 42, which is a bill for a law to establish the Abia State Development Plan (2024 – 2050) as the supreme economic, social and infrastructure development framework of Abia State, to provide for its sustainable implementation across successive administrations and for other related matters, will provide for both a legal and institutional framework for the long-term development plan.

Continuing, he explained that the law will also enhance economic growth, social welfare and infrastructural renewal in our state and promote transparency and citizens’ participation in government businesses, as well as provide the citizens of Abia State the opportunity to review the activities of government annually.

Earlier during the plenary, which kicked off at 12:40 pm on Tuesday, the House entertained a matter of Urgent Public Importance from Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe (Bende North) on the need to curtail the unnecessary increment in the cost of transportation by commercial drivers, especially during the yuletide season.

Responding, the Speaker Rt Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa urged commercial drivers to apply a human face in their business, especially this season.

He also assured that the introduction of the newly acquired electric buses by the State Government will help bring healthy competition in the transport sector and ultimately reduce the cost of transportation within the state.

Also, the House entertained a petition which was read out by Hon. Lewis Chinemerem Obianyi (Ukwa East) on the wanton destruction of government property at the Ukwa East Legislative Council.

The petition was committed to the House joint committees on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Public Petition for further investigation and to report back to the House by the first week of January 2026.

Also at the plenary, the Speaker read out a letter addressed to the House through the Speaker by Hon. Lewis Chinemerem Obianyi, member representing Ukwa East State Constituency
notifying the house of his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the Labour Party (LP).

The lawmaker in the letter attributed the resignation of his membership of the PDP to the crisis in his former party and his defection to the Labour Party (LP) due to the giant strides of the Governor, Dr Alex Chioma Otti.