The Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu for presenting the 2025 budget of Rivers State to the National Assembly, describing the move as placing the President "on the wrong side of history."

Speaking on Channels Television's breakfast show, The Morning Brief, on Friday, Epelle expressed concern over what he termed an "unprecedented move" in Nigeria's democratic history.

"The President has made history, but this time on the wrong side of history. This unprecedented move is very worrisome because this is the first time a sitting President is presenting the budget of a state because of the void in the democratic structure of that state created by this emergency rule," Epelle stated.

The TAF Africa boss characterized the President's action as "executive overreach," arguing that there was neither legal nor democratic justification for such intervention. He revealed that there had initially been plans to have the appointed sole administrator present the budget, but public scrutiny regarding the legality of such action prompted a change in strategy.

"Initially, they were going to push the so-called sole administrator to do this, and I think they realised when we called on them to examine the legality of a non-elected individual overseeing an elected office which is the institution of the state," he explained.

Epelle questioned the democratic integrity of allowing an unelected official to administer a state's resources, suggesting that such actions undermine fundamental democratic principles despite their historic nature.

President Tinubu officially submitted the N1.481 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the National Assembly on Thursday, following the suspension of the state's House of Assembly. The budget proposal was presented in a letter addressed to Senate President Goodwill Akpabio.

According to the proposal, the budget focuses on strategic investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, and agriculture, with projections to generate approximately 6,000 new jobs. The President requested expeditious consideration of the bill.

The Senate has referred the bill to its Ad-hoc Committee on Emergency Rule for review, with instructions to report back as soon as possible. In his communication to the National Assembly, President Tinubu noted that the Supreme Court had nullified the 2025 budget previously presented by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.