JUST-IN: Tinubu, Stakeholders ‘Resolve’ Rivers Political Crisis

Critical stakeholders in the political crisis rocking Rivers State have agreed to resolve the conflict.

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by President Bola Tinubu, which was attended by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, a former governor of the state, Peter Odili, the immediate-past governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, and other stakeholders at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Monday evening.

According to a resolution signed Monday night, the President directed that all matters instituted in the courts by the governor and his team in respect of the political crisis be withdrawn immediately.

Also, all impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor by the State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.

The resolution was signed by Governor Fubara, Wike; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Speaker, Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; PDP state chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka and APC state caretaker chairman, Tony Okocha.

The resolution reads, “The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.

“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers Statet shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

Given the inhabitable state of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, Tinubu directed that the lawmakers “shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interreference and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of government.”

Also, Fubara, who had earlier presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill to four members of the Assembly “shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.”

Likewise, the President directed that the names of all Commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state “should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval”, adding that “There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State” declaring the dissolution of the Local Government administration as “null and void”.

It is left to be seen if the gladiators in the crisis will abide by the resolutions or not.