Amaewhule-Led Assembly Defies Court Order, Holds Plenary Amidst Political Turmoil

The Rivers State House of Assembly, under the factional leadership of Martins Amaewhule, gathered for a plenary session on Thursday, just 24 hours after the Assembly Complex on Moscow Road was demolished by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Despite a court order restraining them, the Amaewhule group conducted their sitting at the Assembly Quarters’ auditorium on Aba Road. This defiant act followed the declaration by Edison Ehie and his five-man group, who, the previous day, deemed 27 seats of lawmakers in the Amaewhule group vacant for switching allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

During Thursday’s session, lawmakers, led by Ofiks Kagbang representing Andoni constituency, unanimously condemned the government’s demolition of the Assembly Complex. A motion of urgent public importance was moved and adopted by the House, reflecting the assembly’s collective discontent.

In a legislative stride, Major Jack presented the report on the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill, aiming to curtail the governor’s authority to dissolve Local Government Executives, a move that received approval from the assembly.

Despite the unending drama, 26 lawmakers attended the session. The group, determined to press on, decided to utilize the auditorium at the Assembly Quarters for their legislative sittings.

The political turmoil in Rivers State escalates as Governor Fubara, on Wednesday, presented the state’s 2024 budget to the Ehie group at the Government House. The leadership crisis between Ehie and Amaewhule, currently entangled in a legal battle, unveils a complex web of allegiances. While Ehie aligns with Fubara, Amaewhule’s ties are believed to be with ex-governor Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The once-strong ‘father-son relationship’ between Wike and Fubara has soured since October when the Amaewhule group initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara. The political landscape in Rivers State remains tense, with the clash of factions playing out both in the courtroom and the legislative arena.