Rivers Assembly declares pro-Fubara lawmakers’ seats vacant

The Hon. Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly  declared the seats of 4 members of the House vacant for breaching the provision of the 1999 constitution on abstention from plenary.

The affected members are Edison Ehie, currently Chief of Staff Government House; Victor Oko-Jumbo, current factional speaker of the Assembly; Adolphus Timothy Oruibienimigha; and Sokari Goodboy Sokari, representing Ahoada East II, Bonny, Opobo/Nkoro, and Ahoada West Constituency, respectively.

Ehie served briefly as factional speaker of the Rivers Assembly and was the one who declared the seats of Amaewhule and his group of 26 other members vacant after they announced their now controversial defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Announcing the assembly’s action during plenary on Tuesday, Amaewhule stated that the assembly relied on the combined provisions of Section 109 (1)(e), (f), and Section 109 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

On the status of Victor Oko-Jumbo and the two others, the House held three separate votes to declare their seats vacant for absenteeism from sitting for 152 days consecutively without notification or permission, in violation of the 1999 constitution.

A press statement by Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to Amaewhule, added that the assembly further agreed to write to INEC to conduct elections to replace the vacant seats within 90 days to provide representation for their people.

The statement explained that the motion for the assembly’s action was moved by the House Leader, Hon. Major Jack, and co-sponsored by 25 other Members, that the seats of these 4 members be declared vacant for their continued refusal or failure to attend and participate in legislative meetings of the House, without just cause for a period amounting in aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days the House met in the First Session of the 10th Assembly and for also being absent in the past fifty-six (56) legislative sittings of the Second Session.

“Debating the motion, members spoke in unison in support of the motion and sympathised with those constituencies whose voices have been drowned in the House for about one year because of the abdication of legislative duties by their representatives,” the statement added.

The statement went on: “Commenting on the motion, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, recalled that after the peace parley that was held at the instance of the President, the House withdrew its impeachment notice on the Governor and also recalled the four suspended members, yet they have obstinately refused to attend sittings of the House.

“When the Speaker put the question, the House voted in the affirmative that the seats of the 4 members be declared vacant and the Independent National Electoral Commission be notified to conduct elections to fill the vacancies.

“Rt. Hon. Amaewhule reiterated that given the fact the Court of Appeal upheld all the injunctive orders given by the Federal High Court, Governor Siminialayi Fubara is again enjoined to present the 2024 Appropriate Bill to the House.

“Earlier, the Leader of the House, Hon. Major Jack, had informed the House that he was in receipt of the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the judgement of Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which recognised the authenticity of the Rivers State House of Assembly under the Speakership of Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, which was appealed against by Governor Fubara.”