Between Fubara, APC and court - How Rivers state rofor-rofor politics play out in one week
Wia dis foto come from, Martins Amaewhule/RVSG/Facebook
Govnor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State don order di immediate temporary relocation of di sitting of di State House of Assembly to di Auditorium, Admin Block of di Government House, Port Harcourt.
Di order dey inside di State official Gazette, Executive Order of the Rivers State Government 001-2023.
According to di govnor, di decision come becos di current House of Assembly complex as e be no dey safe and constitute threat to di lives of di staff and di lawmakers.
Fubara executive order come even as Rivers State High Court for Port Harcourt bin grant interim injunction wey stop Martin Amaewhule and 24 oda members from parading themselves as lawmakers of di state House of Assembly, ,
Di court order stop dem from calling for or taking part in any official meetings for di Assembly premises.
Na di factional speaker of di house Victor Oko Jumbo and three odas bin file exparte order against di oda lawmakers.
Di interim injunction declare di seats of di 1st to 25th defendants vacant pending further legal proceedings.
Di court also issue restraining order, wey stop Govnor Fubara and di chief judge, wey be di 26th and 28th defendants for di suit, from engaging with Amaewhule and im 25 loyalists.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
Dis action na afta di defendants bin defect from di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to di All Progress Congress (APC) on December 13, 2023.
Di court also direct Amaewhule and di odas to hand over all official documents within seven days.
Di case dey adjourned until May 29 for a motion on notice.
Wia dis foto come from, Rivers State Govt. House Media
Di political crisis for Rivers state Southern Nigeria bin take new dimension wit di emergence of a new set of state assembly members.
Di member wey dey represent Bonny constituency for di Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo emerge as di new Speaker of di 10th Assembly on Wednesday.
Im election hold among di three lawmakers wey still dey di PDP.
Oko-Jumbo bin say im emergence dey in line wit di standing order of di House following di resignation of di former speaker, Edison Ehie.
Oko-Jumbo say dia action dey in line with Section 92(1) of di 1999 Constitution.
E add say di former members of di House know di provisions of Section 109 (1)(g) before dem defect to di APC on 11 December 2023 and di den new Speaker Edison Ehie bin write to di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) declaring di seats of di 25 lawmakers vacant so all di laws wey dem supposedly don make or amend dey null and void.
E call on di Executive arm, di Judiciary and general public to disregard evri law wey di illegal Assembly members make becos e amount to notin.
E also urge di State govnor not to get any further dealings wit di former 25 lawmakers.
Dis na di latest in de series of di drama wey dey happun for di state politics.
No be hidden tin say di main fight na between di state govnor Siminalayi Fubara and im former oga Nyesom Wike wey be di minister of FCT.
How di political crises start?
Di political crisis burst for October 2023 wen di speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly and 25 members bin wan impeach di govnor.
Dis lead to di burning down of di Chambers of di Assembly wia dem dey hold dia legislative sittings and sake of dat, di govnor demolish di building to renovate am.
Since den na different tins don dey happun wey make Nigeria president Bola Tinubu summon di two parties to a peace accord.
Tins take anoda turn on Monday wen di leadership of di APC for Rivers State, southern Nigeria call on di 27 members of di State House of Assembly to immediately begin impeachment process against Fubara.
State APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha, tok dis one for one news briefing for Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
E say di govnor dey disrespect President Bola Tinubu as e no gree implement di eight-point peace agreement wey dem reach for Abuja.
Dis reaction come afta di Rivers State Govnor Siminalayi Fubara say members of di Rivers State House of Assembly wey Martin Amaewhule dey lead no dey exist.
E tok dis one wen e receive delegation from Bayelsa state led by Alfred Diete-Spiff and former Bayelsa State Govnor Seriake Dickson for goment house Port Harcourt.
Fubara say di peace accord wey im wit im former oga FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike get na political agreement wey no stop am from doing wetin im get for mind.
Na dis one make di PDP say di call for impeachment of di govnor no go work.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba for statement bin say di call by APC na call for katakata for di state as e no follow law as e dey Section 109 (1)(g) of di 1999 Constitution wey say those lawmakers don vacate dia seats by reason of dia defection.
E call on di Inspector General of Police to chook eye inside wetin di Acting APC Chairman tok before e cause breakdown of law and order for di State.
Govnor get power not to recognize elected lawmakers?
Wia dis foto come from, Martins Amaewhule/Facebook
We bin ask one sabi pesin dis question afta Govnor Fubara make di declaration say say members of di Rivers State House of Assembly wey Martin Amaewhule dey lead no dey exist.
“Di Martin Amaewhule led lawmakers no be Assembly members in di eyes of di law.”
Na so Associate Professor of Public Law for Rivers State University, Ritchard Wokocha tok say Govnor Siminialayi Fubara dey correct to say di Martin Amaewhule led lawmakers no dey exist.
E explain to BBC Pidgin say dem stop to be members of di Rivers State House of Assembly di moment dem defect from PDP wey dem bin use stand election enta di assembly, go anoda political party, APC wen no crisis bin dey for di PDP.
"Di govnor dey correct. A look at di constitution section 109 sub (1g) show clearly dia status and dat status di constitution tok of vacating seats."
E say a pesin shall vacate dia seat; shall na active word wey mean say na di result of wetin di constitution dey list. So e say a pesin shall vacate im seat if di pesin bin dey elected on di platform of anoda political party change to anoda party.
Di only exception provided na say dat change no be becos di political party merge wit anoda political party or e get katakata for im political party. So dis two conditions na im we go look at to determine weda di effect wey di constitution tok don take place."
Di sabi pesin say di Supreme Court give example of di kain katakata wey be say serious division dey di board of trustees, national executive committee wey cause gbege for di political party as e dey known to law.
"For di case of Rivers State if you apply di Supreme Court decision to di Rivers State scenario, di lawmakers say dem no fit reach di Secretary of di party so dem feel say division dey di party wey make dem defect.
Wokocha say as tins be now, di Rivers State House of Assembly get as e be becos 27 constituencies no dey represented in di house.
E advise di citizens wey come from di affected constituencies to ask court to ask Inec to organise elections for dem to elect pipo into constituency to represent dem as dem presently dey denied of dia right to representation.
