Martin Amaewhule, the factional speaker of the Rivers State House Of Assembly, has accused Governor Similanayi Fubara of plotting to demolish the official residence of the state lawmakers.
Mr Amaewhule made the accusation on Thursday, moments after Mr Fubara visited the edifice situated at GRA, Port Harcourt, the state capital.
“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 told journalists.
Backstory
The state governor is at loggerheads with the lawmakers, most of whom are loyal to his predecessor and now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike.
Mr Wike alleges that his successor is attempting to dismantle the political structures he built over the years.
His supporters at the RSHA dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform which they were elected and decamped to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and served impeachment notice on the governor.
President Bola Tinubu intervened, and came up with a political solution that is unconstitutional, which the warring factions assented to at a meeting at the seat of power.
The governor returned home and pressured the factional speaker loyal to him to step aside, implemented other resolutions but refused to re-present the year’s budget.
The aggrieved lawmakers converged to pass bills, ignoring his assent and recently threatened to resume impeachment proceedings should the governor fail to represent the budget – one of the conditions he endorsed during the peace deal spearheaded by President Tinubu.
The renewed rift has led to the emergence of another factional speaker speculated to be loyal to the governor who demolished the state assembly complex when his current Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, factionalised the house by emerging speaker.
