Rivers crisis: Which House of Assembly Inec go obey?
Di drama for di Rivers State House of Assembly take a anoda turn as di two factional Houses of Assembly wey Victor Oko-Jumbo and Martin Amaewhule dey head, ho;d sitting and move two parallel motions to declare di position of each oda vacant.
Di Martin Amaewhule led Assembly declare di seats of di lawmakers wey dey loyal to govnor Siminialayi Fubara vacant.
On di same day Victor Oko-Jumbo led Assembky insist say Martin Amaewhule and odas no be members of di state Assembly since dem defect for December 2023 and so no get any power.
Di both factions dey call on di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to conduct bye-elections to fill dia seats.
All dis na part of di political kasala wey dey happun between govnor Fubara and im former oga Nyesom Wike, wey be FCT minister.
'Absent for 150 legislative days'
Amaewhule say dem take di decision to declare di 4 seats vacant in compliance wit di combined provisions of Section 109(1)(e),(f) and Section 109 (2) of di 1999 constitution as altered.
E declare di seats of Edison Ogerenye Ehie, Victor Oko-Jumbo, Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigha and Sokari Goodboy Sokari representing Ahoada-East II, Bonny, Opobo/Nkoro and Ahoada West State constituency respectively vacant.
E say di seats of di four members dey declared vacant as dem kontinu to refuse or fail to attend and participate in legislative meetings of di House without any just cause for a period.
E say dia period of absence don reach more dan one-third of di total number of days wey di House don meet for di first session of di 10th Assembly and also for being absent for di past 56 legislative sittings of di 2nd session.
‘Amaewhule, odas no be members of RSHA'
Meanwhile, di Victor Oko-Jumbo led Assembly insist say INEC must conduct bye-election to fill 26 vacant assembly positions already declared vacant.
Victor Oko-Jumbo say di legislative seats of di former speaker Martin Chike Amaewhule and 24 odas remain vacant following dia defection from di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to di All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oko-Jumbo explain say di 25 legislative seats don dey declared vacant since 13 December 2023 by di den Speaker, Edison Ehie and e regret say Inec still dey drag leg to conduct by-election to fill di vacant seats.
"Please recall say on 11 December 2023, Martin Amaewhule and 24 odas defect from di PDP wey sponsor di election into di Rivers State House of Assembly to di APC. Dis defection make headline news for both print and electronic media."
Victor Oko-Jumbo on Thursday resolve to initiate measures against Martin Amaewhule and oda lawmakers wey announce dia defection for December.
Di Rivers State goment say di Appeal Court judgment on Thursday 10 October 2024 for Abuja bin no reinstate di Martin Amaewhule-led faction of di State House of Assembly by any stretch of imagination.
For statement by di State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Israel Iboroma SAN clarify say Amaewhule and 26 odas bin defect on December 11, 2023, and dia seats become automatically vacant from di day dem announce dia defection to di whole world.
Oga Iboroma insist say di issue of defection of Amaewhule and 26 oda no ever dey before di Federal High Court and di Court of Appeal, Abuja, and dia fore, no court don legitimise dia membership of di House of Assembly on di basis of di defection.
Conditions for Inec to conduct bye-elections
Inec dey required to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from di death or resignation of members of di National and State Houses of Assembly.
Di 1999 Constitution as amended stipulate say di presiding officers of di various legislative housed, dat na Senate President or Speaker of di House of Representatives or Speaker of di State Houses of Assembly go declare vacancies for di seats and call on Inec to conduct bye-elections to fill those vacant seats.
Based on dis declaration, Inec go issue timetable and schedule for activities for di bye-election.
Dis go include di list of areas wia di bye-elections go hold, dat na senatorial districts or federal or state constituencies and di notice of election, dat na di date di bye-election go hold.
Section 28(3) of di Electoral Act 2022 provide not later dan 14 days bifore di elections go hold.
Inec go also give detailed timetable for di time frame wen political parties go conduct dia party primaries for candidates wey go contest for di seats and all oda modalities for di bye-election.
