Edith CHUKU
On Monday, the Rivers State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, cancelled it’s earlier decision to declare the seats of three foot soldiers of the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, vacant.
By this decision, Hon. Timothy Oruibienomigha representing Opobo-Nkoro, Victor Oko Jumbo representing Bonny and Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokari, representing Ahoada West constituencies, will soon return to the assembly to continue participating in legislative activities.
This is happening less than 12 hours after the two warring camps of Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the FCT Minister and leader of the Rainbow Coalition reached a peace agreement.
The assembly members loyal to Fubara were suspended exactly three years ago; October 30, 2023, in the hit of the prolonged feud between.
Following the presidential parley of December 18, same year, their suspension was lifted but the unending political war between the son(Fubara) and his father (Wike), the trio did not resume duties in the assembly.
After the recent reconciliation meetings, the affected members submitted appeals to the state house which were read by the speaker during the 68th Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Assembly.
A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the speaker, Mr Martins Wachukwu, said the three lawmakers submitted separate letters of appeal, apologizing for their prolonged absence from legislative sittings.
The statement read; “In their separate letters of appeal read by the Speaker at Plenary, the trio expressed a deep seated apology to the House, claiming that they failed to resume sitting with their colleagues because there was no correspondence intimating them that their suspension of 30th October, 2023 was lifted on the 20th December, 2023, after the presidential intervention.
“Debating on the acceptability or otherwise of the appeal, members submitted in favour of the plea and urged the House to rescind the earlier decision.
“Commenting on the letter, and adumbrating on the submissions of members, the speaker, emphasized that irrespective of the emotion-laden tenor of their letters of appeal, the point to note is that investigation has shown that they may not have received the correspondence as claimed; adding that the law does not feast on emotion, neither does the law see the rotund face of the rich nor the angular face of the poor, but sees only justice.
“When the speaker put the question on the premise of rescinding the earlier decision, Members voted in the affirmative, willing to see their colleagues join them to speak for their various constituencies.”
