Rivers State lawmakers, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday exchanged words over a plan by the governor to renovate the state legislative quarters.
The governor, during a visit to the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday, unveiled the plan to renovate the buildings.
But the pro-Wike lawmakers, led by the factional Speaker, Martin Amaewhuke, raised the alarm that the governor’s planned renovation was part of the plot to demolish the legislative quarters the same way he pulled down the House of Assembly in December last year.
Amid the feud between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, there was an explosion at the state House of Assembly last year.
Despite the explosion, the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers found their way into the complex and attempted to impeach the governor.
On December 13, 2023, the House of Assembly complex was demolished under the supervision of Fubara after the state government said the building was defective.
Fubara, at the Assembly quarters on Thursday, said he undertook an on-the-spot assessment of the condition of the structures for a possible rehabilitation to make it liveable.
But responding to the visit of the governor, Amaewhule, accused Fubara of plotting to demolish the residential quarters of the lawmakers, saying there was nothing wrong with the buildings.
Amaewhule condemned the action of the governor, alleging that he was intimidating members of the House to demolish the facility built in 2022 by his predecessor.
The Speaker stated, “Rivers people were stunned today when Governor Fubara stormed the House of Assembly quarters with another attempt to demolish the premises.”
Amaewhule said Nigerians were watching daily as the governor, who was supposed to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and extant laws of the state had become the chief breaker of the law.
He said the Assembly quarters were one of the best in Nigeria and was built by Wike and inaugurated by the Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, now Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila in 2022.
The Speaker expressed disappointment in the governor’s undue interference, stating that the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters were built for members of the House of Assembly, not for the executive arm.
He said “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 and we have not called on the governor for any form of help. The Rivers State House of Assembly was built for members of the House of Assembly and not for the executive arm of government.
“The undue interference of the governor is unbecoming of a sitting Governor who is supposed to uphold the sanctity of the law. We are disappointed, we are ashamed to have a governor who has no respect for our constitution, who has no respect for our laws, who has no respect for democracy.”
Earlier on Thursday, Fubara, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, asked “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 myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state have traded words over the visit of the governor to the Assembly quarters.
The Publicity Secretary of the State APC Caretaker Committee, Chibuike Ikenga, in an interview with The PUNCH, alleged that the governor was intimidating the lawmakers.
Ikenga stated, “You cannot burst into people’s apartments or even to their premises without their knowledge. You don’t do that. With the retinue of security, he went with? That is intimidation.”
“A place that was built and inaugurated how many years ago? That’s very intriguing.”
“That story is being concocted to try to forge a situation where you try to chase the people out of the place. That’s the same thing that was done at the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.
“So it’s on the same trajectory that the governor wants to go by. Intimidating the Assembly members since they have refused to bow to his intimidation and then they have stood their ground to do the right thing and that is why the governor is doing what he is doing.”
But the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Sydney Gbara, defended the governor, saying there was nothing wrong with his action.
Gbara added, “The new Speaker that emerged is a welcome development for us because we are tired, sick and tired of an antagonistic assembly and we pray and hope that the new Assembly leadership will work in synergy so that we can have peace, a peaceful disposition in Rivers State.”
Punch
