RESOLVE RIVERS ASSEMBLY CRISIS TO SAFEGUARD DEMOCRACY, TINUBU URGED
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to intervene in the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State to prevent the country’s democracy from sliding into constitutional anarchy.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made this call in a statement on Friday in Port Harcourt, following the Appeal Court’s ruling on Thursday that reinstated Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Chief Eze argued that Amaewhule and 26 other lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on December 11, 2023, had automatically vacated their seats under Section 109(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution. He emphasized that the law is self-executory and requires no court order to remove defected lawmakers.
“The political turmoil in Rivers State persists because some politicians are determined to use the judiciary to exert power and influence,” Eze said. He expressed concern that the crisis remains unresolved due to the actions of certain figures who, he claimed, are manipulating the judicial process for political gain.
The Appeal Court’s decision dismissed an appeal by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who had challenged an earlier judgment by the Federal High Court, nullifying the 2024 Rivers State Budget passed by pro-Fubara lawmakers after the defection of 27 PDP lawmakers to the APC.
The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, had ordered the Rivers Governor to re-present the budget to the House under Amaewhule and the 26 other defected lawmakers. The court also barred Governor Fubara from interfering with the Assembly’s activities and instructed the release of all funds owed to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Chief Eze highlighted the ongoing legal battles and called for clarity, emphasizing that the defection of Amaewhule and others had not been addressed in the court’s rulings, yet the law dictates their removal from the Assembly.
Eze urged President Tinubu to step in and resolve the political tension, stressing the importance of maintaining peace and order in Rivers State and upholding democratic values across the nation.
Peoplesmind