Rivers Assembly: Fubara’s Men Wake Up, Seize Power From Wike’s Lawmakers

About 48 hours after the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, found his voice and declared that the 27 persons elected into the state house of assembly under the banner of the PDP, but who chose to defect to the APC, were no longer recognized as legislators, the three remaining lawmakers have elected Victor Oko Jumbo as their speaker.

Jumbo was part of those who dragged the Martin Amaewhule group to court, challenging their legitimacy as members of the Assembly, having defected from the party under which platform they were elected.

With the development, Jumbo who represents Bonny in the legislature, will be leading two others to make laws for the state. Mr Hedison Ehie, a former speaker of the Assembly and now chief of staff to Fubara, had earlier declared the seat of the 27 defectors vacant, in line with the provisions of the constitution.

TNN findings show that the governor had hoped that the 27 defectors were going to retrace their steps and work in the interest of the state. But in the last few months, the Amaewhule group had sat and amended certain laws. None of the amended laws had the governor’s signature, forcing the people to veto them.

Only on Tuesday, the acting APC chairman, Tony Okocha, directed the defecting lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings against Fubara, after the governor’s declaration that they were not known in the eyes of the law.

It was gathered that the lawmakers to be led by Jumbo, will soon receive a new list of nominees for appointment as commissioners, as well as those to be appointed to head the various local governments in the state, as the tenure of elected council chairmen expires in the next few weeks.

The commissioners loyal to Wike, but who were re-appointed by Fubara in line with the Abuja accord, had resigned recently and their positions yet to be filled. As it is today, the state does not have a commissioner for works as well as that justice, among others.