The drama surrounding the Rivers State House of Assembly took another twist on Thursday morning as the Martin Amaewhule-led faction met at their residential quarters. This defiant move comes just a day after the state government’s controversial demolition of the assembly complex.
With most of the 32-member assembly in their ranks, the Amaewhule faction condemned the demolition as a blatant attack on the legislature. It promptly adopted the auditorium of their living quarters as their new “hallowed chamber.”
Recall that a factional speaker of the assembly, Edison Ehie, declared the seats of the 27 lawmakers vacant on Wednesday following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Read also Rivers defection: Can Fubara survive? What’s Wike’s next move?
The 32-member assembly has been engulfed in turmoil since October, with two rival factions vying for control. The crisis stemmed from a rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
On one side is Amaewhule, believed to be loyal to Wike, and on the other is Ehie, aligned with Fubara.
The rift has led to chaotic events, including attempts to impeach the governor.
Adding fuel to the fire, a High Court in Port Harcourt confirmed Ehie as the legitimate speaker on Tuesday. The court also restrained Wike’s loyalists from accessing the Assembly complex until renovation ordered by the state government was completed.
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