*You’re becoming law breaker, Amaewhule warns
*Wabara implores Tinubu to caution Wike*Rivers ALGON dares gov, say they won’t vacate office in June
*FCT minister’s ex-aide defends Fubara
Chigozie Amadi
In an evident show of control, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, yesterday, paid an impromptu visit to the residential quarters of members of the State House of Assembly, situated on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Although no lawmaker was said to be in sight at the time, this happened barely 24 hours after the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Assembly leadership re-enacted the local government bill.
But the displaced speaker, Martin Amaewhule, has flayed Fubara storming their quarters with the aim of demolishing the area, saying it was unfortunate that the governor had begun to slide into a “law breaker.”
The Amaewhule faction of the legislature, also warned that no “individual in borrowed ropes will be allowed to hold any local government council to ransom.”
Also, yesterday, Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, ha appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, in order to avert a conflagration in Rivers State.
This was as local government council chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State chapter, had challenged Fubara on their tenure expiration, insisting they would remain in office six months after June 17, which marks the end of their tenure.
At the same time, Fubara received support from Wike’s camp, yesterday, as the minister’s former adviser, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has blamed the impeachment threat against the governor on sentimental politics.
However, THISDAY gathered that Fubara went there to have an on-the-spot assessment of the status of the quarters while enroute the Emohua-Kalabari Road to inspect the readiness of the first phase of the Trans-Kalabari Road billed for unveiling.
A short video posted on Facebook, showed Fubara taking a walk around the quarters, which seemed deserted with no other person other than his security details on the premises.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara explained that his visit to the residential quarters was to undertake on-the-spot assessment of condition of the structures for possible rehabilitation to restore its status and make it liveable.
“Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?
“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for my myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people,” h said.
According to Fubara, he decided to visit the place to get better appreciation of what needs to be done to make the quarters conducive for lawmakers.
Commenting on the road project, Fubara said he was assessing the extent of job that had been done to know what else was needed in preparing the road for commissioning during his one year anniversary.
“As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning. So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”
He pointed out that the road project was inherited from the immediate past administration but a greater chunk of the cost was borne by his administration.
Amaewhule: Fubara Sliding to Law Breaker
The Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers have told Governor Siminalayi Fubara that he was already becoming a “law breaker” with his recent actions.
“Rivers people were stunned this afternoon when they got the information that the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, stormed the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters in yet another attempt to demolish the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters just the same way he demolished the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex.
“Nigerians, Rivers people are watching events day by day as our own governor, who is supposed to uphold the Constitution is gradually sliding into the position of chief law breaker of Nigeria.
“Our governor demolished the House of Assembly Complex and plans are underway from what we are seeing to again, demolish the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters.
“The quarters we have here is one of the best in the country. The Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters was built by the past administration under His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. It was commissioned in August, 2022, by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, now Chief of Staff to Mr. President.
“As you can see, there is nothing wrong with any of the buildings. All the buildings are in perfect condition. Our hall is in perfect condition. We have no issues; we have not called on the governor for any for of help.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters was built for members of the House of Assembly and not for the Executive arm of the government. The undue interferences of the governor is one that is unbecoming of a sitting governor, who is supposed to uphold the sanctity of the law. We are disappointed, we are ashamed.”
Meanwhile the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers at their 175th sitting on Wednesday, consolidated the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law of 2023, and the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law No. 4 of 2024 to form a new Local Government Law that provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of the Local Government Councils and other matters connected thereto in the State.
The lawmakers, who used the Auditorium at Assembly quarters as a make shift Chambers passed the Bill after deliberating on it merits and demerits.
A statement by Martins Wachukwu, Media Aide to the displaced factional Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, explained that before passing the Bill, the House debated the essence of consolidating all the local government laws in the state, which they argued would make for ease of reference.
Thereafter, in line with the rules of the House, they resolved into Committee of the Whole and further X-rayed the spirit of all the laws to be consolidated.
Amaewhule posited that the intendment of the bill is to consolidate all the local government laws in the state to a one whole piece of Legislation.
He added that in consolidating the Laws, the House looked at some critical sections and amended them for effective management of council staff, in line with current realities, saying, “No single individual in borrowed ropes will be allowed to hold any local government council to ransom.”
Wabara to Tinubu: Stop Wike from Burning Rivers
Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, in order to avert the looming conflagration in Rivers State.
Wabara made the call yesterday as the persisting feud between Fubara and his erstwhile godfather, Nyesom Wike, continued to escalate.
He told journalists in a telephone chat that the president should act fast “before he (Wike) plunges Rivers State into a needless political crisis” which could snowball into a national inferno.
Wabara, a former Senate President, blamed Wike for the escalating crisis, saying he was stoking the face-off between Fubara and the lawmakers seeking his downfall.
“I want to appeal to Mr. President to call his appointee, Nyesom Wike, to order so that his actions in Rivers do not confirm the suspicion that APC has an agenda to turn Nigeria into one party state,” he said.
Wabara said the president should not ignore his appeal and should indeed appreciate the importance of Rivers as a major revenue base of the country, hence “Nigeria will definitely not escape” a burning fire in Rivers.
“Wike should allow peace to reign in Rivers State,” he insisted, warning that Nigeria might not survive any instability in Rivers State, considering its economic importance to the country.
He stressed that Tinubu must prevail on Wike to give peace a chance and allow his successor to govern the state, having been given the mandate by Rivers people as expressed by the voters.
Wabara also advised pro-Wike lawmakers against offering themselves as willing tools for destabilisation of their own state, adding that, “history will not be kind to them” if they continue on the path of infamy.
He urged the warring legislators to carefully consider the grave implications of any attempt to forcefully remove a democratically-elected governor or president from office.
Wabara, however, disclosed that the PDP would not fold its arms and allow Fubara’s traducers to continue with their intimidation and persecution.
The PDP BoT chair also said he not surprised at the mass exodus of PDP members in Abia State, adding that such development was bound to occur given the certain happenings in the party.
He attributed the wave of defections in PDP to the reign of impunity in the last PDP-led administration in Abia and its flagrant disregard to internal democracy and party supremacy.
ALGON: We Won’t Vacate Office in June
Local Government Council chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON),Rivers State chapter, have challenged Governor Siminalayi Fubara on their tenure expiration, insisting they would remain in office six months after June 17, which marks the end of their tenure
The local government chairmen therefore urged President Bola Tinubu to call Fubara to order as he had withheld their allocations.
In a briefing with journalists in Port Harcourt, the ALGON members said the president should intervene in the disagreement between them and governor to avoid the breakdown of law in the state.
The ALGON members who were 21 at the briefing were led by their Chairman, and Mayor of Port Harcourt, Mr Allwell Ihunda.
Speaking on the allegedly withheld allocations, the ALGON claimed that the governor’s action had in the past two months affected their smooth administration at their various LGAs.
They claimed that the leadership of Fubara, “has neglected, failed and deliberately refused to hold the statutory Joint Account Allocation Committee Meeting (JAAC),” which according to them was the prerequisite for the disbursement of funds due to the LGs in the State Joint Local Government Account.
Wike’s Ex-Aide, Inko-Tariah, Defends Fubara
A former aide of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has defended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, blaming the impeachment threats on sentimental politics.
Inko-Tariah, who spoke yesterday on the Arise News Television, defended the governor, and cited political sentiments as reason behind the impeachment threats.
“Lots of people feel we will arrive at the resolution of the issues but certain persons are adamant for some parochial reasons to ensure that either they remove the governor on the basis of impeachment. Impeachment is not removal, it simply means official indictment.
“It is after impeachment that you have removal or they make the state ungovernable for the governor. What has the governor done to warrant impeachment if not for political and sentimental reasons?
“First and foremost, I heard and have listened to the argument of the issue of the house of Assembly members. Authoritatively, I can say they are at his mercy. We had a matter in court, where the legality of the assembly members was questioned, having defected to APC.
“We all know that safe for two extenuating circumstances, one, melding of political parties or crisis in the political parties, once you defect by section 109(G), automatically you have lost your seat as a member of the house of Assembly.”
He highlighted efforts of the governor towards peace and reconciliation, indicating his reluctance to employ coercive legal measures against defected members.
