Rivers Assembly Gets New Speaker in Fresh Twist … As APC calls for resumption of impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara

Rivers Assembly Gets New Speaker in Fresh Twist

As the APC calls for resumption of impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara

By Faith Kordoo

 

The political wrangling in Rivers State keeps hitting new dimensions with each passing, with the latest twist being the election of Victor Oko-Jumbo, the member representing Bonny constituency, as the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, overthrowing the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly.

Oko-Jumbo, who is now believed to be the new speaker for the entire 32-member Assembly, was elected during plenary on Wednesday by some members of the house loyal to the state governor, Sim Fubara, in line with the Standing Order of the House.

Oko-Jumbo was one of the four lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara in the wake of the political crisis in the state, which started last year

 

The faction loyal to the Governor had, at the time of the crisis, elected Edison Ehie as the speaker, but he later resigned from the State assembly and was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor.

Oko-Jumbo was led to the plenary with the original mace of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the Sergeant-at-Arms, David Wariboko, who managed the last sitting of the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly in the same position.

In his acceptance speech, Oko-Jumbo thanked the members for electing him as the new Speaker following the resignation of the former Speaker, Edison Ehie.

He also called on the Executive and the Judiciary, as well as the public, to disregard every law allegedly enacted by the Amaewhule-led Assembly, describing it as an exercise in futility.

“You will agree with me that after the House last sat on the 13th of December, 2023, and adjourned sine dine, there has been an avalanche of legislative rascality perpetrated by the 25 former members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, led by the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule.

“These former members, being fully aware of the provisions of Section 109(1)(g) of the CFRN 1999, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party (APC) on the 11th of December, 2023.

“Consequently, the Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie-led Assembly, on the 13th of December, 2023, wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declaring the seats of the 25 lawmakers vacant in line with Section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the CFRN 1999.

“My distinguished colleagues, there are a plethora of cases pending in our courts due to the defection of the former lawmakers,” the new factional speaker opined.

Speaking further, Oko-Jumbo noted that “all laws, plenary sessions, and actions taken by the illegal House members are hereby declared void and a nullity in the eyes of the law by virtue of the judgment of Lord Denning in the celebrated case of MacFoy v. UAC (1961) 3 All ER 1169.

“Furthermore, this House would want to most respectfully urge and call on His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, DSSRS, to desist forthwith from further dealings with the 25 former lawmakers, in whatever guise.

“Those members are merely floating and do not have any landing ground or anywhere to berth their ship since their defection to the All Progressives Congress on the 11th of December, 2023.

“This House is the legally and constitutionally recognised House of Assembly by virtue of the defection of the other members and is ready to receive correspondence from and work with His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara. Distinguished colleagues, let me thank you once again.

He concluded by saying, “I know I can count on your unalloyed and unwavering support as we work with His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to move our dear Rivers State forward in promoting the progress and welfare of the state.”

Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier in the week demanded that members of the House of Assembly resume impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The opposition party’s caretaker chairman, Tony Okocha, who made this call during a press conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, held that the party will not sit back and watch the governor insult President Bola Tinubu.

“It’ll be foolhardy for us to sit down and see someone way less than Mr. President insult him under our very nose.

“It is also absurd to see the governor espouse impunity and intimidation on people who are members of our political party, and we stand akimbo doing nothing, he stated.”

Okocha added, “As representatives of Mr. President, we won’t sit here and see the governor insult the President. We won’t sit here to see the governor declare on his own as if he’s a court to declare Assembly members’ seats vacant.”

He further threatened that if the Assembly members failed to restart the impeachment proceedings against the governor, he would invoke party discipline upon them.

“To that extent, in consultation with my party, we are directing APC members who are in the Assembly to immediately commence the impeachment of Governor Sim Fubara.

“And if they don’t do that, there’s what they call party discipline, and we shall invoke that section of the Constitution and deal decisively with them,” he roared.

This came shortly after Governor Fubara had on Monday criticized the attitude of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly towards his administration, saying the members will cease to exist as legislators if he so decides.

He maintained that the lawmakers exist based on his recognition of the peace accord initiated by President Bola Tinubu.

“Those groups of men who claim to be Assembly members are not Assembly members; they are not existing. I want it to be on record. I accepted the peace accord to give them a floating. That is the truth. There was nothing in that Peace Accord that’s a constitutional issue; it’s a political solution to a problem. And I accepted it because these were people that were eating in my house; these were people I helped pay their children’s school fees when I wasn’t even a governor. So, what is the thing there?

“We might have our division, but I believe that one day we could also come together, but it has gotten to a point where I have to make the statement that they are not existing.
“Their existence is me allowing them to exist. If I de-recognise them, they are nowhere. I want you to see the sacrifice I have made in allowing peace to reign in our state, Governor Fubara maintained.