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Tag: Rivers Assembly

  • BREAKING: Rivers Assembly reacts to Supreme Court judgment, urges Fubara to respect ruling 

    BREAKING: Rivers Assembly reacts to Supreme Court judgment, urges Fubara to respect ruling 

    The Rivers State House of Assembly convened on Friday, shortly after the Supreme Court’s judgment, stating that it believes Governor Siminalayi Fubara will now repent from his sins following the ruling.

    The Assembly praised the Supreme Court Justices for their well-considered judgment, which affirmed Martin Chike Amaewhule as the Speaker and upheld the legitimacy of the current Assembly members.

    House Leader Major Jack informed the House of the Supreme Court’s decision, which validated their status and ordered them to resume sitting immediately.

    In a statement signed by Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Jack noted that the Supreme Court also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation to halt the release of funds to the Rivers State Government until an Appropriation Bill is presented to the properly constituted House.

    The court also nullified the local government elections conducted in October 2024, declaring them invalid.

    Commenting on the development, Amaewhule described the judgement as victory for democracy and the rule of law, saying that the Supreme Court proved him and other members right when the House asserted that Fubara was “running a criminal government with persons not screened by the House, and without an Appropriation Law”. 

    Amaewhule said: “We believe that now that the Supreme Court has spoken, Governor Siminialayi Fubara would repent from his legion of sins, and those criminals, those impostors, who are parading themselves as appointees of this government without the constitutional imprimatur of this House would desist forthwith.”

    The Speaker thanked the justices of the Supreme Court, the political leader of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, members of the Assembly and all those, who contributed in fighting for the entrenchment of democratic principles and ethos in the state.

  • Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly lauds Tinubu for establishing Ogoni varsity of environment, technology 

    Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly lauds Tinubu for establishing Ogoni varsity of environment, technology 

    The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the bill establishing the University of Environmental Science and Technology in Ogoni.

    The lawmakers hailed the president while debating a motion at its 113th sitting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, saying the university would be sited at Okoroma/Sakpenwa area of Ogoni.

    A member representing Gokana Constituency and Deputy Speaker of the House, Dumle Maol moved the motion to commend the President.

    Maol hailed Tinubu’s uncommon leadership style saying the gesture would assuage the long-suffering of Ogoni people, who had endured years of environmental degradation caused by oil exploration and exploitation.

     Maol said that the establishment of such a specialized university would positively impact on the Ogoni people, and urged the House to commend President Tinubu, Senator Barry Mpigi, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and others that contributed to the passage and signing of the bill. 

    Read Also: Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly enacts three laws without Fubara’s assent

    Members in their debates supported the motion and urged the House to resolve as prayed by the mover of the motion.

    Commenting on the Motion, the Speaker of the House,  Martin Amaewhule, praised the leadership style of the President.

    He said: “President Tinubu’s leadership style is exemplary and deserving of commendation. I urge the Federal Ministry of Education, and the National University Commission to without much ado breath life into the spirit and letters of the Act to make the university take-off in earnest”.

     Amaewhule averred that the university when established would be the cynosure of environmental studies in the country and would benefit Ogoni people and Rivers State.

  • Falana decries presence of two speakers in Rivers Assembly

    Falana decries presence of two speakers in Rivers Assembly

    Activist lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said the presence of two speakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly is unacceptable and must be rejected.

    Falana spoke yesterday in Lagos at the 21st memorial lecture of the late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehimi, at the Orunmila Hall of the Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja.

    Read Also: Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly blasts Fubara for presenting budget to three lawmakers 

    The pro-Wike group in the state Assembly is being led by Martins Amaewhule as speaker, while the legislators loyal to Governor Simmelayi Fubara have Victor Jumbo as Speaker.

    Falana said such a situation should not be allowed to persist.

  • Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly enacts three laws without Fubara’s assent

    Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly enacts three laws without Fubara’s assent

    The Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly has enacted three laws in the state, bypassing the assent of the state governor, Siminialayi Fubara.

    The lawmakers said their actions were in line with Section 100(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and in furtherance of legislative positivism in the interest of the Rivers people.

    It was gathered that the three bills were earlier passed by the lawmakers and sent to Fubara for his assent.

    The lawmakers reportedly followed legislative processes to make the laws of Rivers following Fubara’s decision to withhold his assent.

    The bills are the Rivers State Education (Return of Schools) (Amendment) Bill, the Rivers Electricity Market Bill, and the Rivers State Commissions of Inquiry Bill 2024.

    A statement signed by Amaewhule’s Special Assistant, Media, Martins Wachukwu, confirmed the development.

    The Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, re-presented the bills, which were debated by members.

    Amaewhule cited Section 100(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as the enabling provision that empowered the House to override the governor where he withheld his assent.

    Read Also: Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly blasts Fubara for presenting budget to three lawmakers 

    The Speaker put the question to the members, and they answered in the affirmative.

    Amaewhule emphasized that Fubara could not hold back the state as “a result of his indolence and ineptitude”, insisting that the state must move forward.

    Amaewhule described Fubara “as one, who sees himself as above the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the judiciary and other extant laws of the state.

    He maintained that the House would continue to hold on to the Constitution and democratic ethos.

  • Why we are silent on Rivers Assembly crisis, by INEC

    Why we are silent on Rivers Assembly crisis, by INEC

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has explained why the commission has not acted on the controversy  trailing the Rivers Assembly. 

    The leadership of the faction loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara wrote the commission to conduct bye election to fill the position of the 25 members of the Assembly loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. 

    Some Nigerians also accused the commission of failing to act on the request by the lawmakers. 

    Speaking at a stakeholders meeting with Media Executives at the Commission headquarters in Abuja, Mahmood said it has not acted because of the several conflicting court judgements on the crisis in the Assembly. 

    He also noted that as a result of the crisis and the conflicting judgements of courts at the state and federal levels, the commission has also not conducted the bye election into the l Assembly occasioned by the death of one of the members. 

    He disclosed that the Commission was looking towards the middle of December to conduct bye elections into the House of Representatives declared vacant as a result of death of members of the House as well as some  House of Assembly seats. 

    According to him: “The seats of 25 members of the Rivers state House of Assembly were declared vacant by three other members. The 25 members also declared the seat of the three vacant. 

    Read Also: Rivers Assembly declares seats of Ehie, Oko-Jumbo vacant

    “After that, there was a court judgement from the Rivers High Court as well as the Federal High Court on the legitimacy of each of these group of lawmakers. We at INEC has been following the development. We don’t know what will happen next and so, we are seeking the views of Nigerians, especially legal experts on this. 

    On the bye elections, he said the commission was working out the logistics for the conduct, adding that it will soon announce the date for the elections. 

    Mahmood said that the Commission was carrying out consultations on the possibility of having political parties that won election into the parliament, but lost such member either due to death or resignation to nominate a candidate to fill the vacant position. 

    According to him, the tenure of lawmakers are tied to the particular assembly they were elected to, hence the need to ensure that such positions are not left vacant. 

    He said conduct of bye elections has created lots of logistic issues for the commission, adding that between July 2023 when the current government came into power, it has about 20 bye elections. 

    He explained that in other parts of the world, the political party whose member dies simply nominate another person to take over the seat, adding that in Nigeria, this is not the case. 

    He said the commission was discussing the possibility of adopting the same method with stakeholders in the nation’s electoral process, while asking for suggestions from Nigerians. 

    Onn preparation for the Ondo governorship election, the INEC boss said the Commission has learnt lessons from previous elections with mass improvement on the voter accreditation process and the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. 

  • Rivers Assembly declares seats of Ehie, Oko-Jumbo vacant

    Rivers Assembly declares seats of Ehie, Oko-Jumbo vacant

    The political crisis rocking Rivers State took another dimension yesterday following  the decision of  Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly to declare vacant  the seats of Edison Ehie and Victor Oko-Jumbo .

    Others  whose seats were also declared vacant are Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigha and Sokari Goodboy Sokari.

    Apart from Ehie, who represented Ahoada East II but later resigned as a member of the House of Assembly and was eventually named  Chief of Staff to the Governor, the other lawmakers  are pro-Fubara House of Assembly members.

    Oko-Jumbo, who represents Bonny Constituency is currently the Speaker of the pro-Fubara House of Assembly comprising Oruibienimigha, Opobo/Nkoro and Sokari, Ahoada West.

    The Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, which was recently confirmed as the authentic House by the Court of Appeal, reconvened  yesterday at the auditorium of the legislative quarters located on Aba Road for a plenary.

    The House said the seats of the lawmakers were declared vacant in compliance with the combined provisions of Section 109 (1)(e),(f) and Section 109 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    Read Also: Before Lagos bans sachet water and other single-use plastics

    The decision  followed  a motion moved by the House Leader, Major Jack and co-sponsored by 25 other members that the seats of the four members be declared vacant for their continued refusal or failure to attend and participate in legislative meetings of the House.

    The House said their absence was without just cause for a period amounting in aggregate, to more than one-third of the total number of days the House met in the first session.

    The House said the lawmakers were also absent for 56 legislative sittings of the second session.

    During the debate, members spoke  in support of the motion  and sympathised with the constituents of the affected lawmakers, because, according to them  their voices  had been drowned in the House for about one year because of the abdication of legislative duties of their representatives.

     Speaker Martin Chike Amaewhule  recalled that after the peace parley that was held at the instance of the President, the House withdrew its impeachment notice on the governor and also recalled the four suspended members.

    He said the affected members obstinately refused to attend  House sittings.

    The Speaker, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Martin Wachukwu, was said to have thrown the question to the members and they all voted in the affirmative.

    The House said the seats of the four  members be declared vacant and that  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be notified to conduct elections to fill the vacancies.

    Amaewhule reiterated that given  the Court of Appeal judgment upholding all the injunctive orders given by the Federal High Court, Governor Siminialayi Fubara  re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the House.

    Earlier, the Leader of the House, Major Jack had under statement by the Leader, informed the House that he was in receipt of the Judgment of Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which recognised the authenticity of the Rivers State House of Assembly under the speakership of Martin Amaewhule.

    The Leader laid the document on the table and was received and adopted by the House as a working document.

  • Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly declares pro-Fubara lawmakers’ seats vacant

    Amaewhule-led Rivers Assembly declares pro-Fubara lawmakers’ seats vacant

    The Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly has declared the seats of Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and three other pro-Fubara lawmakers vacant in the wake of their absence from sittings for 152 days.

    While making the declaration during plenary on Tuesday, October 15, Amaewhule pointed out that Ehie did not properly write to inform the House of his new office, and as such his seat has been declared vacant.

    Read Also: Court: Fubara must take Budget 2024 to Amaewhule-led House

    Regarding Victor Oko-Jumbo and the two others, the House held three separate votes to declare their seats vacant for absenteeism from sitting for 152 days consecutively without notification or permission, in violation of the 1999 constitution.

    The Assembly further agreed to write to INEC to conduct elections to replace the now vacant seats within 90 days to provide representation for their people.

    Also, the House agreed to give Governor Fubara another opportunity to present the 2024 Appropriations Bill following the nullification by the Appeal Court of the N800bn bill, which he had presented to a parallel House led by Edison Ehie.

  • Rivers Assembly hails court’s judgement, urges FG to Include state in flood response plan

    Rivers Assembly hails court’s judgement, urges FG to Include state in flood response plan

    Four days after their victory at the Federal High Court, the Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly convened its plenary session on Monday, expressing significant concern over the looming threat of flooding and its potential impact on residents.

    During the session, lawmakers voiced their apprehensions and urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant government bodies to include Rivers in their flood response strategies.

    This appeal followed a motion introduced by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol, who highlighted that the anticipated flood is linked to the Republic of Cameroon’s planned regulated release of water from the Lagdo Dam.

    Read Also: Oko-Jumbo-led Rivers Assembly confirms Fubara’s appointees

    The motion received unanimous support from the assembly, underscoring the importance of informing constituents about the impending flood.

    Speaker Amaewhule lauded the motion’s intentions and mandated a joint committee to collaborate with NEMA, NDDC, and other government agencies to prepare for the disaster and provide aid to potential flood victims.

    The joint committee, comprising the House Committee on Environment and House Committee on Emergency Relief, was expected to submit its report within a week.

    Speaker Amaewhule congratulated assembly members on their recent victory at the Federal High Court and expressed confidence that the law would continue to favour them despite opposition.

  • Oko-Jumbo Rivers Assembly screens, confirms Fubara’s five commissioner nominees

    Oko-Jumbo Rivers Assembly screens, confirms Fubara’s five commissioner nominees

    The Victor Oko-Jumbo-led House of Assembly in Rivers State has screened and confirmed five commissioner nominees in line with the request of the state governor, Siminialayi Fubara.

    The nominees were confirmed on Tuesday, August 13, at the plenary of the lawmakers at the Auditorium Admin Block of the Rivers State Government House.

    The five nominees confirmed were Mr. Ilamu Arugu, Dr. Rowland Obed Whyte, Dr. Sam Anya, Mr. Samuel Eyiba, and Austin Emeka Nnadozie.

    The confirmation was announced by Oko-Jumbo paving the way for them to join the state executive council.

    Read Also: Fubara sends five commissioner-nominees to Oko-Jumbo Assembly

    The commissioner nominees while fielding questions during their screening said they were ready to work for the progress and development of the state.

    They promised to discharge their duties diligently and loyally serve the state government.

    The leader, Sokari Goodboy Sokari urged his colleagues not to delay the confirmation, adding that the nominees have served the state in various capacities in the past.

    Sokari said speedy confirmations of the nominees would help fill the vacant positions in the Rivers State Executive Council.

    Oko-Jumbo said the new commissioners were expected to contribute to the development and growth of Rivers State.

  • Rivers Assembly asks police to arrest caretaker chairmen

    Rivers Assembly asks police to arrest caretaker chairmen

    Rivers State House of Assembly members, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, yesterday asked the police to arrest persons parading themselves as the caretaker committee chairmen across the 23 local government areas.

    The 27 lawmakers also asked the police to immediately withdraw policemen attached to these caretaker chairmen, following the refusal of the Governor Siminialayi Fubara to dissolve the illegal caretaker committees in obedience to the Supreme Court judgment.

    The lawmakers gave the directive after reviewing the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment, which granted autonomy to local governments during their 7th legislative sitting.

    The resolution of the Amaewhule-led House titled: Public Notice was signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi Alabor George.

    After deliberating on the judgment, the lawmakers drew the attention of the public to the unlawful activities of “the impostors who are still parading themselves as caretaker committee chairmen and members,” in flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court judgment.

    Read Also:JUST IN: Rivers Assembly blocks Fubara from spending

    The lawmakers observed that the “illegal caretakers” were imposing rates and levies on the residents and unduly harassing uninformed members of the public, despite the judgment and in violation of the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law of 2023.

    According to the lawmakers, the amended local government law forbade caretaker committees from steering the affairs of the councils.

    They directed banks, government at all levels, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs), traditional institutions, residents and other stakeholders to stop doing business with “such unelected” individuals.”

    They added: “They are by this notice further informed not to deal or transact business with these unelected individuals, who want to truncate our hard-earned democracy and are currently in contempt of injunctive orders of the Supreme Court.

    “The police and other law-enforcement agencies have also been informed to commence the arrest of these impostors.”

    The lawmakers said their directives were in consonance with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guaranteed a democratically elected local governments.

    They also insisted that the resolution was premised on Section. 64(1) of Rivers State Local Government Law number 5 of 2018, which empowers the House to give directives that only those elected should run the affairs of the 23 councils.