By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Following their absence from sittings for 152 days, the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, yesterday declared the seats of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, and three other pro-Fubara lawmakers vacant.
The Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, made this known during yesterday’s plenary. He said that Ehie did not properly write to inform the House of his new office, and as such, his seat has been declared vacant.
On the matter of Victor Oko-Jumbo and the two others, the House held three separate votes to declare their seats vacant because they had been absent from sitting for 152 days consecutively without notification or permission, in violation of the 1999 constitution.
The Assembly further agreed to write to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections to replace the now vacant seats within 90 days to provide representation for their people.
Also, the House agreed to give Governor Fubara another opportunity to present the 2024 Appropriations Bill following the Appeal Court’s nullification of the N800bn bill, which he had presented to a parallel House led by Edison Ehie.
*Counter as ‘four-man’ team fight over 23 seats
In a counteraction, the four-member pro-Fubara lawmakers, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, have restated their resolve that the legislative seats of former Speaker Martin Amaewhule and 24 others remain vacant.
It also ruled that the vacant seats must be filled through a bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The parallel Assembly, which said this in a statement yesterday by its Speaker, Oko-Jumbo, explained that the 25 Legislative seats were declared vacant on December 13, 2023, by the then legitimately recognised Speaker, Edison Ehie.
The factional Speaker regretted that the commission had been dragging its feet on conducting the byelection to fill the vacant seats.
He said that INEC’s inability to do what is necessary since December 13, 2023, had created room for unnecessary distractions from Amaewhule and his committee of friends.
Oko-Jumbo called on the commission to discharge its constitutional responsibilities to the state’s people.
