The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on Wednesday presented the state’s N800bn 2024 budget proposals to the State House of Assembly, tagged ‘Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation and Continuity’, the Rivers State Executive Council had earlier approved the budget estimates.
The Governor presented the budget to the Ehie-led Assembly of lawmakers sitting within the premises of the Rivers State government house following the earlier demolition of the State Assembly Complex.
The 5-man assembly was presided over by Edison Ehie who was on Tuesday backed by a ruling of the Rivers State High Court as the authentic Speaker of the State Assembly.
Before the arrival of Fubara, the Speaker had declared the seats of all 27 lawmakers who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant in line with section 109 (1) and (2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.
“Distinguished colleagues, the House will duly inform INEC of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly and indeed conduct a fresh election to fill the above vacancies,” Mr Ehie said on Wednesday’s sitting after reading the names of the affected lawmakers
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has revealed why the State House of Assembly complex was demolished on Wednesday morning following Professional advice on the structural integrity of the building which was hit with explosives.
It has been earlier reported that over ten bulldozers and other heavy-duty equipment were rolled out for the demolition of the House of Assembly complex as early as 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
Speaking on the demolition, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joseph Johnson, stated that the decision to demolish and rebuild the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex was due to the structural defects which arose mainly as a result of the recent explosion and fire incident which rendered the main building unfit for human use.
He said after the visit of the Governor to inspect the level of damage done to the building on the day of the fire incident, it became necessary to invite professionals to advise the government on the integrity of the building.
Meanwhile, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Rivers state, has officially resigned from his position.
The resignation notice was contained in an official letter addressed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and personally signed by the ersthwhile Attorney General, citing “personal reasons” as the primary reason for the decision.
Prof. Adangor was amongst the A-list Commissioners on former Governor Nyesom Wike’s heirarchy of appointees and was amongst the very first set of Commissioners appointed into Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration. He has remained a trusted and loyal ally of the now FCT Minister, thus making his position in the Rivers Executive Council quite uncomfortable and eventually untenable in the wake and escalation of the political brouhaha between the Rivers Governor and the FCT Minister.
However, Mr. Tony Okocha, the state APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the action was unconstitutional.
Okocha said that Section 120(2) of the Constitution clearly stated that no money shall be spent except it was appropriated by the state House of Assembly.
“The presentation of a bill to 4 suspended members of the House of Assembly does not fulfill the requirements of the constitution for all the reasons stated,’’ he said.
Okocha cautioned that expenditure made by the state government on the outcome of such presentation was clearly an infringement on the constitution and as such sufficient grounds to commence impeachment. He also said that Section 92(2) C prescribed that a Speaker can be removed by two third majority of the House of Assembly. ‘’Amaewhule remains the speaker of the House of Assembly, the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence on him,’’ he said
Okocha also said that Section 96(1) of the constitution clearly stated that the quorum of the House of Assembly shall be one-third of all members. “One-third of 31 minus the deceased member is clearly 11 as such four members can never form a quorum.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said it has “formally” informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the 25 vacant seats in the Rivers House of Assembly.
The 27 lawmakers said to be loyal to the immediate past governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, dumped the party on Monday for the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, two of the lawmakers were said to have returned to the PDP. A day after, the PDP asked Edison Ehie, speaker of the Rivers assembly, to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacant immediately. The party National Working Committee (NWC) in a statement asked the electoral body to conduct elections in the affected constituencies. The party premised its demand on section 109 (1) of the constitution which provides grounds upon which a lawmaker can lose his seat in the parliament. It said after its meeting on Wednesday, the affairs in Rivers were “thoroughly reviewed” and some resolutions were reached.
“That the Party communicates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by formally informing the Commission of the vacancies in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members, who by virtue of Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) vacated their seats by their action,” the statement reads.
“That the Party officially demand that INEC should within the Constitutionally stipulated time, conduct fresh election in the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State where vacancies now exist in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a result of the defection of the 25 now former members.
“Direct the National Legal Adviser to commence appropriate legal action with respect to the declaration of the seats of the 25 defected former members vacant and the conduct of fresh election into the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).” According to the PDP, “every step necessary available in a democracy to ensure that the votes and mandate of the people of the 25 State Constituencies in Rivers State are protected and not appropriated under any circumstance whatsoever”.
In an interesting twist to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, the Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly convened a sitting on Thursday, some 24 hours after Governor Siminalayi Fubara led the demolition of the Assembly Complex on Moscow Road. The Amaewhule group held a plenary session at the auditorium of the Assembly Quarters on Aba Road despite a restraining court order. The sitting by the Amaewhule group came just a day after the five-man group led by Edison Ehie declared vacant, 27 seats of lawmakers in the Amaewhule group for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During Thursday’s plenary by the Amaewhule group, the lawmakers condemned the demolition of the Assembly Complex by the state government. The lawmaker representing Andoni constituency, Ofiks Kagbang, moved a motion of urgent public importance condemning the demolition, and this was unanimously adopted by the House. Meanwhile, another member, Major Jack, presented the report on the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill to the Speaker which was adopted.
The group’s Speaker also said when this Bill is passed into law it’ll eliminate the governor’s power to dissolve Local Government Executives. In total, there were 26 lawmakers in attendance even as the group decided to use the auditorium at the Assembly Quarters for their legislative sittings for now.
On another breathe, the federal government has distanced itself from the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, his loyalists and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying the former governor’s position is not that of government at the centre. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known to newsmen after briefing on the outcomes of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the State House in Abuja.
According to him, the federal government knows nothing about the political crisis which has seen the FCT minister and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at war against Governor Fubara.
On account of the crisis, 27 of the lawmakers had on Tuesday announced their defection from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) leading to their seats being declared vacant by the Legislature.
Asked whether the federal government shared Wike’s position on the matter as a member of the federal cabinet, the Information Minister said: “Well, he is a federal cabinet member; he is involved in the situation in the state. That cannot be a federal government position. How can it be the federal government’s position?”
Idris stressed that the federal government is keen to ensure peace and tranquility in every part of the country including Rivers, saying: “Well, the federal government is always interested in the well being of all the states, and in that direction the federal government will always align with everyone in Nigeria to make sure that there is peace and tranquility in all parts of this country.
Commenting on the allegation raised by Asari Dokubo, accusing President Bola TInubu of ignoring the festering crisis in Rivers State, the Minister noted that what the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force said is only advisory.
According to him: “I saw Asari Dokubo’s message. It was an advisory. He made an advisory. And when you make an advisory, you allow time to see whether the person you have given the advice will look at it again and come back to you. That does not suggest anything. That doesn’t suggest that the federal government created that problem.
It was never a creation of the federal government. It is a creation of the political situation in River State.”
