Governor Fubara 27 Pro wike Lawmakers bicker as Rivers political crisis festers

Rivers crisis: Lawmakers pick holes in Fubara’s claims, open up on alleged impeachment moves, indefinite adjournment
Fubara wrote us through WhatsApp has no good intentions

Governor Fubara 27 Pro wike Lawmakers bicker as Rivers political crisis festers

The face-off between the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara and the members of the state House of Assembly took another dimension recently.

Since the Supreme Court judgment reinstated the lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, there have been a series of verbal clashes between the governor and the 27 lawmakers led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, the Chairman of the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Information, and spokesperson of the House, Hon Enemi George declared some claims by the governor as “untrue”.

The lawmaker made clarifications regarding the governor’s letter to the Assembly, the reported indefinite adjournment, alleged impeachment moves and other pressing issues.

Governor Fabara claimed that the Assembly is frustrating his efforts to represent the 2025 budget in compliance with the Supreme Court judgement. What is the issue?

We have been begging the governor to bring the budget and if he has not done that. The governor claimed he wrote to us and then tried to access the House of Assembly Quarters to present the budget and then we locked him outside, that is totally untrue. There was no time that the governor wrote to the House of Assembly as he claimed. He has been writing to the Assembly before, especially when he presented a supplementary budget and when he requested that we screen his commissioners.

It is a simple and straightforward process, nothing is different now. The first time, his aide said they sent a letter through Whatsapp. It is not done and even at that, there was no such thing. Now, we have been seeing his letter flying around the social media that he expressed his intentions to present the 2025 budget, there was no such thing. Apparently, the recipient of the letter is not us. It is obviously the public. He is using public sentiment. I have earlier challenged him to show us a copy of any letter he sent to the House of Assembly. He is just not being sincere. The governor is toiling with the lives of the Rivers people.

Immediately after the Supreme Court judgement, we wrote to him and said, please within 48 hours, present the budget. By our estimation, by the 15th of this month, we would have given the budget hearing so that by the 16th, we have passed it. So that within two weeks, we can do the back and forth with the federal government then the fund can be released and allocation can come in so that people can have salaries.

We have pensioners, including my mother who need their pensions. The governor owns us too so it is even in our best interest that the budget is passed. His ego and personal interest will not allow him. If the budget is not ready, then it means that what he presented to those three guys was just an empty box. He should have written to us and said “guys please give me some time let me work things out” and we know how to arrange that. The governor is not being sincere, he never wrote to us and there are none of his letters anywhere in the House of Assembly. We only hear it on social media.

Did the lawmakers lock the governor outside the Assembly complex as widely reported?

It is not true. Remember that the governor demolished the House of Assembly complex after burning our Hallowed Chamber; he demolished the entire complex with all our personal belongings inside. At that moment, we had to move to where we live. In our Quarters, we have a bouquet hall.

It is that bouquet that we have converted to the chamber. By law, if we move a motion, by the votes of the majority, we can choose to have plenary anywhere which we did and now are using the bouquet hall. Where the governor came to was the residence of the House of Assembly quarters, the bouquet hall is in the center of the residence. The center of the residence is where we have the bouquet hall.

Now, this is where the Assembly members live so the gate is always locked. You won’t be let in unless your name is dropped at the gate that some one is coming to visit. Remember that that is where members live now. If it is the offices, the case will be different. Where we are now is not a public space, so we don’t throw our gate open. If we are expecting a visitor, the person’s name has to be dropped at the gate, then we will be informed that so so person is coming. Then when the person comes, they let him in.

The governor just drove to the gate and stood there and then started making a press conference and in less than five minutes, he was gone. Even if we are still at the House of Assembly complex, the normal thing to do is to write to the Speaker expressing your intentions that you want to come and present the budget on so so day. If the day is not possible, we can say, “your Excellency, that day is not our sitting day. Even if we give the governor a date and he comes to the House of Assembly complex, a motion has to be moved to allow him into the chamber and that is our standing order.

We move a motion and get majority votes then we approve for him to enter. That is when it will be announced that the governor and his guests have now been allowed to enter. Before he leaves, a motion has to be moved. That is the procedure. You don’t just walk in like that. It is a ceremonial process.

The governor is just trying to use public sentiment by painting us in a bad light as if he really wants to come and present the budget but we are not letting him. He forgot that we were the first to write to him, asking him to come and present the budget. Our staff were sent to the government house but they were beaten up and chased away when the government officials heard that they came from the House of Assembly to deliver a letter.