Rivers Assembly Recalls Three Suspended Pro-Fubara Lawmakers

The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday recalled three members of the House who are loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The recalled lawmakers are Hon. Timothy Oruibienimigha, Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo, and Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokari, representing Opobo/Nkoro Constituency, Bonny Constituency, and Ahoada West Constituency, respectively.

The development, LEADERSHIP gathered, was part of the outcome of the meeting held between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, as well as their loyalists at the governor’s private residence in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Our Correspondent learnt that the decision was reached following letters of appeal sent to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaeghwele by the trio.

The House, during its 68th Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Assembly on Monday, rescinded its earlier decision declaring their seats vacant.

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 the submissions of members, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Amaewhule emphasised that, irrespective of the emotion-laden tenor of their letters of appeal, the point to note is that the investigation has shown they may not have received the correspondence as claimed.

He stated that the law does not feast on emotion; neither does it see the rotund face of the rich nor the angular face of the poor, but sees only justice.

When the speaker posed the question on the premise of rescinding the earlier decision, members voted in the affirmative, willing to see their colleagues join them in speaking for their various constituencies.

Recall that in the wake of the political imbroglio that engulfed the state, more particularly the House of Assembly, four members of the House were suspended at the 84th Legislative Sitting of the First Session of the Tenth Assembly on October 30, 2023; and following the presidential parley of 18th December, 2023, the suspension was lifted on the 20th of December, 2023 at the 89th Legislative Sitting of the First Session.

However, following the continued failure or refusal of the trio to attend and participate in legislative sittings and business of the Assembly for no cause, the House, at its 56th Legislative Sitting of the Second Session of the Tenth Assembly, on 15th October, 2024, in compliance with Section 109(1)(e) and (f), and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 resolved to declare their seats vacant, and accordingly notified the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections to fill the vacant seats.