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The Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a bye-election to fill vacant positions in the state legislature.
The move followed the resolution at plenary on Tuesday, as members agreed to write the electoral body to fill the vacant positions.
The political battle in the state had caused tension in the camps of the immediate-past governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Amaewhule, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, dated 15th of October 2024, said the vacancies followed the declaration of the seats of the four lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara vacant, due to their absence from sittings for a specified period of time.
The letter listed the vacant seats as those of his colleagues representing Ahoada East Constituency II, Opobo Constituency, Bonny Constituency and Ahoada West Constituency respectively.
The letter read, “Kindly be informed that at the 56th Legislative Day of the second session of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, which was held on Tuesday, 15th day of October 2024, the seat of the member-Ahoada East Constituency II in the Rivers State House of Assembly was declared vacant in line with sections 109(1) and (f).
“Apart from abandoning his mandate of being absent from legislative business/meetings for about a year, Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie who until his seat was declared vacant, represented Ahoada East Constituency II and was later sworn in as the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, by the Governor of Rivers State on Monday 29th January 2024. He is now in the executive arm of Government.
“Similarly, the seats of Hon Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigba (Opobo Constituency), Hon Victor Oko Jumbo (Bonny Constituency) and Hon Sokari Goodboy Sokari (Ahoada West Constituency) are now vacant, in view of the fact that the affected members have remained absent from legislative business or meeting/sittings of the House for about one year – a period that is far more than the stipulated period of one-third of the total number of days during which the House met in one year as enshrined in section 109(1)(f) of the 1999 Constitution as altered.
“Relying heavily on Section 109(2), I gave effect to Section 109(1)(f) of the 1999 Constitution as altered by declaring their seats vacant, following satisfactory evidence of their wilful absence from meetings/sittings of the House for the 96 out of 177 legislative sittings/meetings in the 1st session and 56 out of 56 legislative sitting/meetings in the 2nd session of the 10th Assembly. The total number of consecutive days of absence so far from legislative sittings/meetings is 152.
“Therefore, I urge you to do the needful and conduct elections to fill the vacancies so that Rivers people in these constituencies can once again have representation in the House and please accept as always, the assurance of our esteemed regards.”
Reacting, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, insisted that Amaewhule and his colleagues had lost their seats after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Johnson further urged the pro-Wike lawmakers to face their matter in the Appeal Court rather than play hide and seek.
“Amaewhule should not be playing hide and seek. He came out in the media and told the world that they suspended these four gentlemen.
“If they have suspended them, I have not seen any proof that they recalled them. So if you didn’t recall somebody that you suspended from work, how can you say the person has not come to work and now you’re declaring the person’s seat vacant?
“Does it not show you that they are getting it all wrong? They don’t understand what they are doing. I think there is confusion in their midst.
“Amaewhule should go and face his matter before the Court of Appeal on his defection, which violated Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution. If they are anything close to honourable members, he should maintain it, otherwise they are acting below dignity.
“Someone that is standing on one leg cannot push someone standing on both legs without him falling,” he said.
Johnson reaffirmed that the authentic Speaker of the assembly is Victor Oko-Jumbo.
“It is Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo that is the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Amaewhule has lost it. If he wants to be a Speaker, let him contest election in 2027,” the commissioner said
Also, the Oko-Jumbo-led assembly said it would invoke the provision of the 1999 Constitution against the 25 members loyal to Wike.
The 10th Assembly also cautioned detractors from interfering with Fubara’s administration.
The Leader of the House and member representing Ahoada West Constituency, Sokari, stated this while presenting a motion on a matter of urgent public importance pursuant to Section 99 of the constitution on the floor of the House, on Wednesday.
He said that the Amaewhule-led lawmakers, by their actions, had continued to undermine the integrity of the assembly and violated Section 99 of the Constitution.
He prayed the assembly to take necessary steps to halt the unlawful gathering of the former members, who by defecting to another political party, have lost their seats.
On his part, Orubienimigha, while adopting the motion, urged the House to, without delay, hold the former members accountable and ensure that they faced the full consequences of the law.
Oko-Jumbo berated the INEC for refusing to conduct bye-elections into the vacant seats since December 11, 2023.
The assembly, on Wednesday, approved the appointment of five special advisers by Fubara.
Reading a letter from the governor during its 64th legislative sitting, Oko-Jumbo said the appointment of the special advisers into key positions would help accelerate development in the state.
The assembly subsequently adjourned sitting to Monday, 21st of October, 2024.
