The Rivers State caucus members in the National Assembly paid a solidarity visit to Rt yesterday. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, is loyal to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The delegation, led by the leader of the caucus and senator representing Rivers South-East district, Senator Barry Mpigi, included the senator representing Rivers West district, Senator Allwell Onyesoh and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.
Others were; Hon. Felix Nwaeke, Hon. Victor Obuzor, Hon Mrs Blessing Amadi, Hon Cyril Hart and Hon Dumnamene Dekor.
The federal lawmakers had earlier addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt, where they insisted that the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s appeal against the Pro-Wike House of Assembly members affirmed Amaewhule as the Speaker of this House.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Chinda, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, advised Fubara to obey the orders of the courts and stop dealing with this Rt—Hon—Victor Oko-Jumbo-led House of Assembly.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbotekun, and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, to implement the Supreme Court’s orders.
The Minority leader said: “It’s instructive to state emphatically that by the withdrawal of the Governor’s appeal before the Supreme Court and the dismissal of the suit with cost, the judgment and all orders made by Hon. Justice J. K. Omotosho, which the Court of Appeal upheld, takes effect immediately and forever.
“This, of course, includes the affirmation of Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewule as Speaker and the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly as the only House of Assembly of Rivers State and the directive to the Inspector General of Police to provide security to enable the Rivers State House of Assembly to continue to perform their functions without hindrance.
“We would like to call the attention of the Governor of Rivers State, that in his Notice of Withdrawal before the Supreme Court, he rightly referred to Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewule is the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Therefore, there is no more contest about who the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly is. And any attempt to continue to deal with any person or forum as the Rivers State House of Assembly is not only contemptuous of the judgment of the Supreme Court but a direct call for political anarchy or social lawlessness.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State government has declared that the matter bringing the Federal High Court judgement to which the National Assembly caucus was referring was filed even before the pro-Wike lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt yesterday, called President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police to ignore the call.
Johnson said: “The judgment of Hon Justice Omotosho does not affect issues not submitted for determination in the case.
“We therefore call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the National Judicial Council, the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, all institutions in Nigeria, as well as well-meaning Nigerians to ignore the mischievous and deliberate misrepresentation of the facts and the effect of the judgment of Hon Justice Omotosho on the situation in Rivers State by Hon Amaewhule and co.”Seyi Tinubu Not Taking VP’s Duties – Group
