N’Assembly caucus visits Amaewhule, urges Fubara to obey court judgment
The Rivers State Caucus of the National Assembly on Monday paid a solidarity visit to a factional Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The lawmakers also called on the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to execute the judgment of the Court of Appeal, affirming Amaewhule and 26 of his colleagues as the only members of the assembly.
Reading their position in a statement signed by the member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Kingsley Chinda, the Senator representing Rivers South-East, Barinada Mpigi, and the member Representing Khana/Gokana in the Green Chamber, Dumnamene Dekor, the lawmakers expressed dismay over what they term the deliberate distortion of facts and judgments of courts by Fubara.
Others in the delegation include Felix Nwaeke, Victor Obuzor, Mrs Blessing Amadi, Cyril Hart, and Allwell Onyesoh
The caucus emphasized that the judgment of Justice J.K. Omotosho, which was affirmed by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, takes effect immediately and forever.
The federal lawmakers insisted that the Court of Appeal judgment, which was upheld by the Supreme Court, granted all the reliefs sought by Amaewhule, including the determination of who is the speaker and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly
The statement highlighted that the judgment also included non-interference by the Governor of Rivers State with the activities and functions of the Amaewhule-led Assembly, protection by the Inspector General of Police to ensure adequate security for them to carry out their duties, and the disbandment of any other House of Assembly in Rivers State or self-acclaimed Speaker other than Amaewhule and the 27 members.
They warned that any attempt to deal with any other person or forum as the Rivers State House of Assembly is contemptuous of the judgment of the Supreme Court.
“For the records, there were several reliefs aside from the presentation of the 2024 budget sought by the Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule led the Assembly before the Hon. Justice J.K. Omotosho, which included the determination of who is the speaker and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly; non-interference by the governor of Rivers State with the activities and functions of the Martin’s led Assembly; protection by the Inspector General of Police to ensure adequate security for them to carry out their duties; and the disbandment of any other House of Assembly in Rivers State or Self-acclaimed Speaker other than Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule and the 27 members.
“All the reliefs sought by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule were granted by the Hon. Justice J. K. Omotosho on the 22nd of January 2024.
“It’s instructive to state emphatically that by the withdrawal of the governor’s appeal before the Supreme Court and the dismissal of the suit with cost, the judgment and all orders made by Hon. Justice J. K. Omotosho, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal, takes effect immediately and forever,” they said.
The statement continued, “This, of course, includes the affirmation of Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewule as Speaker and the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly as the only House of Assembly of Rivers State and the directive to the Inspector General of Police to provide security to enable the Rivers State House of Assembly to continue to perform their functions without hindrance.”
The lawmakers also accused Fubara of initiating a plot at a Federal High Court in Rivers State to declare the seats of Amaewhule and the 27 members vacant, despite the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
The caucus, therefore, called on the governor to respect the judgment of the court and execute it to avoid any breakdown of law and order in the state.
They urged the public to disregard any misinformation and respect the judgment of the court.
Amaewhule, in his response, thanked the caucus for their visit, assuring them that the 10th Rivers State Assembly will remain undeterred and continue to stand firm in defence of the constitution and the rule of law.
He noted, “All those parading themselves as commissioners that are not commissioners, those working with them as permanent secretaries, those civil servants, all those impostors, even the ones that they say they swore in a few days ago, parading themselves as members of the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission and Assembly Service Commission.
“They should keep parading and continue deceiving themselves, we are putting this disclaimer out to the public to know that these individuals are not officers of the Rivers State Government.
“Laws of Rivers State provide for screening and confirmation of local government service commission; the governor is yet to write us, the governor does not have a local government service commission in place, what we have are impostors all over the place.
“Lastly, the governor should know that we are not sleeping, we are aware of the hundreds and billions of tax-payers monies that are missing today, that are not accounted for, and a day of reckoning will come.”
