•New Meeting head nullifies actions of ex- speaker, asks gov to cease coping with them
•PDP blasts APC over impeachment menace towards Rivers gov
•Insists state lawmakers unlawful earlier than legislation
•Elders advise Meeting members to attend for courtroom judgement
Davidson Iriekpen, Emma Okonji in Lagos, Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Rivers State’s unremitting political disaster assumed one other twist yesterday, after lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara upstaged the speaker of the Home of Meeting, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, whose management was just lately charged by the All Progressives Congress (APC) within the state to question the governor.
In Amaewhule’s place, the Meeting elected Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo as the brand new speaker.
The recent menace towards Fubara had come after he stated just lately that the lawmakers, who had constituted themselves as opposition within the state, didn’t exist within the face of the legislation, following a latest courtroom order that nullified their seats after they defected to from Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP) to APC.
The event prompted APC within the state, led by Tony Okocha, to direct the Meeting to question Fubara.
The scenario had since escalated within the state, with completely different pursuits rising in assist of the governor.
The unsavoury state of play, THISDAY gathered, prompted the choice to elect Oko-Jumbo on the Meeting sitting held yesterday in Port Harcourt.
Subsequently, the brand new Meeting management declared all actions taken by members of the faction led by Amaewhule as void and a nullity within the eyes of the legislation.
It additional referred to as on Fubara to cease coping with these it referred to as former lawmakers, who had misplaced their seats following their defection.
On the identical time, PDP, yesterday, slammed APC over its directive to the 27 lawmakers within the Rivers State Home of Meeting to question Fubara, saying the occasion ought to perish the concept.
PDP reminded the lawmakers that, simply because the governor had stated, they didn’t exist within the sight of the legislation. It referred to as on the Inspector Basic of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to concentrate on these he described as subversive parts threatening democracy in Nigeria.
However some elder statesmen in Rivers State, yesterday, referred to as on the lawmakers to drop the impeachment plan and look forward to the end result of the judgement of the Courtroom of Attraction.
Addressing the Meeting, the brand new speaker stated his emergence was in pursuant to the resignation of Hon. Edison Ogerenya Ehie and in keeping with Part 92(1) of the 1999 Structure (as amended).
Oko-Jumbo and PDP thanked his new Meeting, with simply 5 members, for the boldness reposed in him, and guaranteed them that he would proceed to work with them to maneuver the state ahead.
He said that after the Meeting final sat on December 13, 2023 and adjourned sine dine, there had been an avalanche of legislative rascality perpetrated by the 25 “former” members of the tenth Rivers State Home of Meeting, led by the previous speaker, Amaewhule.
Oko-Jumbo emphasised that the previous members had been conscious of the provisions of Part 109(1)(g) of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. He stated following their defection from PDP to APC on December 11, 2023, Ehie, who then turned the speaker on December 13, 2023, wrote to the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), declaring the seats of the 25 lawmakers vacant in keeping with Part 109(1)(g) and (2) of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. He careworn that there have been quite a few pending circumstances within the courts over the defection of the previous lawmakers.
Oko-Jumbo said, “All legal guidelines, plenary classes, and actions taken by the unlawful home are hereby declared void and a nullity within the eyes of the legislation by advantage of the judgement of Lord Denning within the celebrated case of MacFoy v UAC (1961) 3 All ER 1169, which held that ‘you can not put one thing on nothing and count on it to face’.
“If an act is void, then it’s in legislation a nullity. It’s not solely unhealthy, however incurably unhealthy. There is no such thing as a want for an order of courtroom to set it apart. It’s routinely null and void with out extra ado, although it’s typically extra handy to have the courtroom declare it to be so. And each continuing, which is based on it, can also be unhealthy and incurably unhealthy. You can’t put one thing on nothing and count on it to remain there. It would collapse.”
The brand new speaker directed the chief arm, the judiciary, and the general public to ignore each legislation purportedly enacted by the unlawful Meeting, as all of them amounted to nothing however an train in futility.
He said, “Moreover, this home would wish to most respectfully urge and name on His Excellency, the governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminilayi Fubara, to cease coping with the 25 former lawmakers, in no matter guise.
“These members are merely floating and don’t have any touchdown floor or wherever to berth their ship since their defection to the All Progressive Congress on the eleventh of December, 2023.
“This home is the legally and constitutionally recognised home by advantage of the defection, and is able to obtain correspondences from and work with His Excellency.”
Oko-Jumbo assured Fubara of the home’s “unalloyed and unwavering” assist to work with him in transferring Rivers State ahead and in selling the progress and welfare of the state.
Talking with newsmen after the sitting, which held at 10am, Oko-Jumbo referred to as on all Rivers folks to assist the federal government of Fubara, as the home was prepared to present its greatest for the service of the state
Chairman of the Enterprise Committee of the Meeting, Hon. Sokari Goodboy, assured the Meeting of their dedication to the development of the state, including that they’re able to assist the brand new speaker.
Goodboy urged Fubara to not have something to do with the previous members of the Meeting so as to not appeal to the wrath of the brand new Meeting.
Curiously, the Meeting Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. David Wariboko, who the Amaewhule-led factional Meeting had suspended, was seen performing his duties with the brand new Meeting management beneath Oko-Jumbo.
Perish the Thought, PDP Blasts APC over Impeachment Risk towards Fubara
Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP), yesterday, slammed All Progressives Congress (APC) over its directive to the 27 lawmakers within the Rivers State Home of Meeting to question Governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying the occasion ought to perish the concept.
PDP reminded the lawmakers that they didn’t exist in legislation.
The occasion referred to as on the Inspector Basic of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to concentrate on these he described as subversive parts threatening democracy in Nigeria.
Addressing a press convention, Nationwide Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said, “The eye of the management of the Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP) has been drawn to a delusional declaration by the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Mr. Tony Okocha, whereby he issued a hallucinatory directive that an impeachment continuing be commenced towards the democratically elected governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
“Such reckless and unwarranted assertion by the APC chairman in Rivers State exposes the vile desperation of the APC, which is roundly rejected in Rivers State, to make use of violence, coercion and bullying to undermine the desire of the folks and forcefully take over the state.
“The truth that the Rivers State APC chairman, in his warped creativeness, thinks he can direct impeachment continuing towards a duly elected state governor, not solely reveals the extent of APC’s conceitedness and condescension for the folks of Rivers State, but in addition additional confirms APC’s desperation to forcefully annex their democratic rights beneath the Structure.”
Ologunagba additional said, “In any occasion, the people that the Rivers State APC chairman directed to begin impeachment proceedings towards Governor Fubara usually are not legally members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting and can’t ponder or train such powers beneath the legislation.
“The illegal directive by the Rivers State APC chairman to those people to begin an impeachment continuing towards the governor is, due to this fact, a brazen name for anarchy, because it quantities to an try and forcefully overthrow a democratic order in clear violation of Part 1 sub-section 2 of the 1999 Structure (as amended).”
PDP drew the eye of the Inspector Basic of Police to the subversive utterances of the APC chairman in Rivers State, which it stated was able to triggering disaster and derailing the democratic order within the nation.
Rivers Elders Advise Meeting Members to Watch for Courtroom Judgement
Elder statesmen in Rivers State, yesterday, referred to as on the state lawmakers to drop the impeachment plan towards the governor and look forward to the judgement of the Courtroom of Attraction.
The views of the elders had been made public yesterday on the Morning Present of ARISE NEWS Channel.
One of many elders, and Nationwide Coordinator, South-south Management Discussion board, Anabs Sara-Igbe, stated he led 9 others to institute a courtroom case towards the 27 lawmakers at an attraction courtroom, and that the matter had been reserved for judgement.
Sara-Igbe referred to as on the 27 lawmakers to attend for the end result of the courtroom case earlier than ever pondering of finishing up an impeachment course of towards Fubara.
In accordance with him, the seats of the 27 lawmakers have been declared vacant after they crossed from PDP to APC and, due to this fact, they haven’t any powers to question the sitting governor as a result of they’re now not lawmakers within the state.
He stated in keeping with the nation’s structure, “The defected lawmakers are now not members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting. It is for that reason that I led 9 different elder statesmen in Rivers State to institute a courtroom case towards the 27 lawmakers in an attraction courtroom.
“We’re saying that the doc, which accommodates the eight level directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which seeks to deal with the political disaster in Rivers State, and which Governor Fubara earlier signed, is illegitimate and won’t stand.
“The 27 lawmakers are now not members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting. When a case is in courtroom, the events concerned should respect the legislation and look forward to the end result of the courtroom judgement. I count on the 27 lawmakers to grasp this and obey the rule of legislation.
“They can’t be seen as breaking the legislation, when they’re those making the legislation. They enacted legal guidelines to favour former Governor Nyesom Wike, and now they wish to break the identical legislation as a result of it’s now not of their favour. The folks of Rivers State usually are not joyful concerning the growth and we’re in courtroom to hunt redress.”
