The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, has resolved to designate October 29 as a Commemoration Day to remember what it described as “unprovoked attacks on the legislature.”
The resolution was made during a plenary session held yesterday at the Assembly Quarters on Aba Road. Lawmakers said the day would serve as a solemn reminder of the events of October 29, 2023, when the Assembly’s hallowed Chamber was burned down, along with other attacks on the legislature.
House Leader, Major Jack, while presenting the motion, highlighted the arson that led to the destruction of the Chamber, accusing arsonists of executing the attack.
Speaker Amaewhule, in his remarks, lamented the lack of accountability for the incidents, noting that no convictions had been made since the attack.
“It has been 386 days since the heartless burning down of the hallowed Chamber of the House, yet no conviction has been made,” he said.
The Speaker also criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of orchestrating the demolition of the Assembly Complex on December 13, 2023, without the House’s approval.
“It is a sad reminder of the brutal attacks on the legislature, the bastion of democracy,” Amaewhule stated in a release issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Martins Wachukwu.
The House resolved that every October 29 would be observed to commemorate all the attacks on the legislature, calling the actions “iniquitous, scandalous, and malicious.”
In a separate resolution, the House directed Julius Berger Plc to carry out repairs on collapsed sections of the alternative routes to the Port Harcourt Ring Road.
This followed a debate on the report of the House Committee on Works, during which lawmakers commended the committee for its detailed explanations.
The Assembly urged the committee to maintain synergy with the contracting firm to ensure that the repairs and the overall execution of the Ring Road project remain on track.
The session ended with calls for justice and accountability for the attacks on the legislature while reaffirming the Assembly’s commitment to developmental projects in Rivers State.