Wike/Fubara Meeting Outcome: Rivers Assembly Recalls 3 Suspended Lawmakers

The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday recalled three members loyal to 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 Amaewhule, by the trio.

The House had, during its 68th Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Assembly on Monday, rescinded its earlier decision declaring their seats vacant.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 deep-seated apologies to the House, claiming that they failed to resume sitting with their colleagues because there was no correspondence informing them that their suspension of 30th October, 2023 was lifted on 20th December, 2023, after the presidential intervention.

Debating the acceptability or otherwise of the appeal, members spoke in favour of the plea and urged the House to rescind the earlier decision.

Commenting on the letters and elaborating on 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 investigation has shown that they may not have received the correspondence as claimed.

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

When the Speaker put the question on rescinding the earlier decision, members voted in the affirmative, expressing willingness to see their colleagues join them to speak for their various constituencies.

Recall that in the wake of the political crisis that engulfed the state, 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 20th 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 activities of the Assembly for no just 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.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, seems to have become the beautiful bride of the Rainbow Coalition in the state ahead of the 2027 general election.

LEADERSHIP observed that Fubara’s private residence in GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt, has suddenly become a haven for closed-door meetings of political gladiators ahead of the general election.

The recent meetings, held in the last two Sundays, were between loyalists of the governor and the founder of the Rainbow Coalition and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.

The two meetings were attended by loyalists of both the governor and the minister, respectively, including the former Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie.

Also in attendance were former representative of Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator George Sekibo, and the Chairman of the Rainbow Coalition Reconciliation Committee, Senator Magnus Abe.

Others were the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 2, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.

Also in attendance were former Attorney General of Rivers State, Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka; former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron, and other stakeholders.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP on the development, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, said every effort of the Rainbow Coalition was aimed at returning the state to peace.

Nwuke said: “I think we should be talking about peace returning to Rivers State. Honestly, we are one political family. There may have been disagreements. But it shows you that visibly, there is a deliberate effort on all sides to make sure that understanding, collaboration and cooperation returns to the fold.

“Now, whether you see that as Fubara becoming the most beautiful bride, is one perspective of looking at it. But you will also recall that Fubara has been saying that no price is too high to pay for peace.

“It means that all along, he believes in the peace process. And now that peace is here and all supports have collapsed into one, the implication is that everyone, including the governor, who is also a member of the Rainbow Coalition — and you also know that no matter what, you cannot ignore the presence of a governor.

“Fubara is an asset to the Rainbow Coalition and the minister (Wike), who is a member of the Federal Executive Council, is also an asset to the Rainbow Coalition.

“I think that those of us who are members of the Rainbow Coalition are happy that our leaders have eventually come to peace. I am sure you know that yesterday (Sunday), the peace process was deeply endorsed. All of us are on the same page; we are members of the family.”