By Seyi Odewale
The factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, backed by the governor of the state, Ehie Edison, has resigned as the speaker and a member representing Ahoada East Constituency II in the Assembly.
A terse letter addressed to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)Prof Yakub Mahmud on December 29, entitled: “Notice of resignation as speaker and member representing Ahoada East Constituency II in the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly”, Edison did not state why he resigned both as Speaker and member of the state Assembly.
He said, “This is to formally notify you of voluntary resignation as Speaker and member of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, representing Ahoada East Constituency II with effect from the date of this letter.
“I wish to deeply appreciate my colleagues and the people of my constituency for the rare opportunity to serve and hope to continue to give my utmost best in service of Rivers State subsequently. Kindly accept the assurances of my highest esteem at all times.”
Sequel to his resignation, Edison was embroiled in the tussle for the control of the Assembly with four other members of the Assembly on his side visibly supported by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who was having serious issues with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, his godfather.
Fubara had presented the state’s 2024 appropriation bill to him and his three other colleagues, ignoring the other 27 members, who had defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform they got elected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Assembly had 32 members, with one of them dead, leaving 31 in the House.
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The 27 members that defected were later asked to forfeit their seats in the Assembly as their former party asked the INEC to declare their seats vacant and pick a date for a by-election to fill their seats.
Meanwhile, two out of the 27 members had rescinded their decision to leave the PDP for APC and the remaining 25 had gone to court to get an ex parte order to restrain INEC from declaring their seats vacant. Recently, the order was extended.
In the wake of the crisis in Rivers State, the House of Assembly was bombed by unknown arsonists, predictably to prevent the Assembly from planning an impeachment procedure against the governor.
The crisis, however, got to its head when the governor, basing his action on the advice of experts, demolished the partially bombed House of Assembly complex. This prompted President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, which brought about an eight-point resolution to end the seemingly damaging crisis in the state.
As part of the resolution, the other factional Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, leading the majority of the members, was recognised as the authentic speaker, and the seats of other members were not declared vacant. They were also to be paid their salaries and allowances, which Governor Fubara had since done.
