Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly held a plenary session at the auditorium of the Assembly Quarters on Aba Road on Thursday, despite a restraining court order.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Amaewhule group convened the sitting 24 hours after Governor Siminalayi Fubara led the demolition of the Assembly Complex on Moscow Road.
This is coming a day after the five-man group led by Edison Ehie declared the 27 seats of lawmakers in the Amaewhule group vacant. The lawmakers on Monday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During Thursday’s plenary by the Amaewhule group, the lawmakers condemned the demolition of the Assembly Complex by the state government.
The lawmaker representing Andoni constituency, Ofiks Kagbang, moved a motion of urgent public importance condemning the demolition, and this was unanimously adopted by the House.
Another member, Major Jack, presented the report on the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill to the Speaker which was adopted.
The group’s Speaker added that this Bill, when passed into law, will eliminate the governor’s power to dissolve Local Government Executives.
A total of 26 lawmakers were in attendance, and they have all decided to use the auditorium at the Assembly Quarters for their legislative sittings for now.
Gatekeepers News reports that Fubara after presenting the state’s 2024 budget to the Ehie five-man group at the Government House on Wednesday assented to it on Thursday.
Both Ehie and Amaewhule have been embroiled in a leadership crisis that is currently in court. While Ehie and his people are loyalists of Fubara, Amaewhule and his people are believed to be loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
All these balls down to the political structure crisis between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.
