The Rіvèrs State House of Assembly passed the second reading of the 2026 Rіvèrs State Appropriation Bill on a Tuesday more than six weeks after Governor Sіmіnalаі Fubara presented the N1.854 trillion budget estimates to the House on 2026-07-10. ^[1] Approximately 40 people died after inhaling a suspected toxic chemical gas derived from petroleum products. ^[2] The media directorate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Rivers State issued a statement on Thursday in Port Harcourt debunking reports that the name of their Deputy Governorship Candidate was not uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). ^[3] The NDC directorate stated unequivocally that the narrative regarding the missing name is false and misleading, confirming that the name of their deputy governorship candidate was successfully uploaded by INEC. ^[4] Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria, stated during a media chat in Port Harcourt on 2027-01-01 that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi would target him if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election. ^[5] At the 36th Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session on the same Tuesday, the Rіvèrs State House of Assembly, after debating the bill's major components, committed the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the committee stage. ^[6] Mаrtіn Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rіvèrs State House of Assembly, said on the same Tuesday that the House's various committees have been dissecting the different components of the 2026 budget estimate and that the House would conduct detailed legislative scrutiny and oversіght to ensure appropriated funds are judiciously utilised. ^[7] The 2026 Rіvèrs State budget totals N1,854,248,734,475.76, with about N1.405 trillion allocated to capital projects and N413.1 billion to recurrent expenditure. ^[8] Local authorities confirmed the death toll to Xinhua. ^[9] The incident occurred early Thursday in Rivers State, a major oil-producing region in Nigeria. ^[10] The NDC urged members of the public, supporters, and the media to disregard any publication suggesting the candidate's name was not uploaded and to verify electoral information from appropriate official sources before sharing claims. ^[11] The party confirmed that Dr. Mike Barieenee Nwielaghi remains the duly presented and recognized Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Rivers State and that his details have been duly submitted through the appropriate electoral process. ^[12]