Fubara, pro-Wike Lawmakers Differ Over Rivers Assembly Relocation

The Rivers State Government and lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticized and kicked against the relocation of the sitting of the state House of Assembly to the Auditorium of the Administrative Block of the Government House, Port Harcourt.

The order, which was released by the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on Friday,  is contained in the state’s official Gazette, tagged Executive Order of the Rivers State Government 001-2023.

While the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, insisted that Fubara had the power to relocate the state assembly, the pro-Wike lawmakers described the relocation as illegal.

As the governor and Wike’s loyalists disagreed on the Assembly relocation, the pro-Fubara lawmakers on Sunday invited  Danagogo Iboroma, SAN, for screening and confirmation on Monday as a member of the state executive.

After Thursday’s visit to the state legislative quarters, where the lawmakers relocated to when the Assembly complex was demolished last year, the governor on Friday released the executive order on the relocation.

On December 13, 2023, the House of Assembly complex was demolished under the supervision of  Fubara after the state government said the building was defective.

Fubara on Thursday said the legislative quarters would be renovated, a plan pro-Wike lawmakers alleged was a plot to demolish the quarters.

Addressing elders and political leaders loyal to the FCT minister, during a solidarity protest to the Legislative Quarters, in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the Speaker of the pro-Wike faction of the state Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, faulted the executive order.

Amaewhule insisted that the governor had no right to make any executive order directing lawmakers where to hold their sitting.

He stated, “The governor has no power to issue any executive order directing lawmakers where to sit. There is a subsisting judgment barring the governor from interfering with the sitting of the House of Assembly.

“Only the Federal High Court has the jurisdiction to entertain matters regarding the declaration of any seat vacant. We relocated here. We furnished it. This building is less than two years old and built by the best engineers.

Amaewhule said there was a grand plot by the governor to bring down the structures the same way he ordered the demolition of the House of Assembly Complex.

Reacting to the claims and the protest at the legislative quarters, Johnson dismissed the statement by Amaewhule, as he described him as a former lawmaker.

Johnson stated, “He does not have a locus. He is no longer a speaker and he cannot even dictate whatever he would have loved to say thereafter. There is already an existing court ruling, even though an ex parte order.”

Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly loyal to Fubara led by factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, has invited a commissioner-nominee, Iboroma for screening.

Iboroma may replace Prof Zaccaeus Adangor, SAN, who recently resigned as the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.