…Wike-backed speaker cries out
… Fubara inspects Emohua-Kalabari Road
Fear seemed to stir in Rivers State when embattled Governor Sim Fubara visited and walked round the Assembly Quarters of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Already, the speaker of the faction of lawmakers loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has cried out, saying the governor has earmarked the place for demolition.
The last time there was impeachment attempt, the auditorium or the main complex of the Rivers State House of Assembly was razed by fire. He visited it to see how he may help, and bulldozers moved in next.
Now, there is another impeachment threat and the lawmakers sit in the quarters. The governor came to visit “to see things for himself.” Fear!
A government statement however, doused the fears when the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, said Governor Fubara has explained his visit.
The statement said that the governor’s visit was to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of condition of the structures for a possible rehabilitation work to restore its status and make it livable. But that was exactly what he said when he visited the Assembly auditorium the other time.
Fubara gave the explanation after inspecting the 15.24 kilometers long Emohua- Abalama-Tema Junction dual carriageway road project on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
The governor said: “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?
“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for my myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”
When Nyesom Wike was governor, he usually lock up or demolish buildings where opposition was coming from. His godson seems to have learnt much.
Fubara, who took a walk round the facility, said that he decided to visit the place to get better appreciation of what needed to be done to make the quarters conducive for lawmakers.
Going by what happened last time, the quarters may be due for danger or be at risk of demolition or seal off.
The battle in the state looks like no looking back because the stakes are high and the contenders are very high. The 27 lawmakers may face challenges about their place of abode and place of meeting to impeach the governor as they have been directed to do.
Defected lawmakers cry out:
Now, Martins Amaewhule, speaker loyal to Wike, addressed the media on what he termed Gov Fubara’s latest plot to demolish the recently built Rivers State House of Assembly quarters, located along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
According to the factional speaker, Rivers’ people were stunned on Thursday, May 9, 2024, when Gov Fubara stormed the House of Assembly quarters, saying it was another attempt to demolish the premises.
A statement issued by Martins Wachukwu, media aide to the speaker, said the speaker stated that Nigerians were watching day by day as the governor, who he said was supposed to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and extant laws of the state, is now the alleged chief breaker of the law.
Amaewhule said the House of Assembly quarters was one of the best in Nigeria and was built by the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Wike, and was commissioned by the Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, now Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The speaker expressed disappointment in the governor’s alleged undue interference, stating that the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters was built for members of the House of Assembly, not for the executive arm. He said the governor’s actions were unbecoming of a sitting governor who he said was supposed to uphold the sanctity of the law.
“We are ashamed to have a governor who has no respect for our Constitution, laws, and democracy. Indeed, our governor is an assault to our democracy,” Amaewhule said.
The speaker further alleged that the governor mobilised thugs to his official residence and evaded the official residence of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, jumping through the fence and breaking the back gate. He accused the governor of wanting to demolish the property of the Rivers State House of Assembly, which was built with taxpayers’ money, without informing the members.
He also said that while other governors were looking for ways to improve the well-being of their people, Gov Fubara was busy looking for structures to demolish, adding that he has nothing to show but to demolish what other past governors have built.
The speaker said members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly were not afraid and would continue to make laws for the good governance of the State, stressing that the governor had no power over the legislature, as the House of Assembly was a creation of the Constitution.
Emohua – Kalabari Road:
Commenting on the road project, Gov Fubara said he was assessing the extent of job that had been done to know what else was needed in preparing the road for commissioning during his one-year anniversary.
He said, “As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning. So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”
Fubara pointed out that the road project was inherited from the immediate past administration but a greater chunk of the cost was borne by his administration.
He said: “We feel justified to add it as our project and to commission it for the good of our people here.
“Governance is all about the people. When the people are out of the centre of governance, then it is no longer governance.
“So, this road, as we all now know, was in a very bad state. A lot of criminal activities were being carried out here: kidnapping and all sorts of things. So, putting this road in order is appropriate.”
Gov Fubara said further: “You can see the little manhour we spent coming here. Before, it takes you 30 to 45 minutes to drive from Emohua to this place. But look at it, less than 15 minutes we are here.
“So, it is about the people, the good of the people, making life easy for the people. That is the way I see governance. Anything outside that has nothing to do with me.
“It is not about me. It is not about glory to me as a person. I am just a vessel that God is using to provide succour to the good people of Rivers State, and more especially, our dear people of Kalabari extraction.”
