Rivers Governor Impeachment: New Speaker Emerges, as Elders Meet Wike in Abujay. By Olawale Lamina

 

The Rivers State House of Assembly, RSHA, was on Sunday night set on fire through explosives by persons suspected to be hired political thugs over the purported moves to impeach the executive governor of the, Siminalayi Fubara and the Leader of the state assembly, Edison Ehie, who later emerged the Speaker on Monday.

Sources claimed that some sponsored thugs besieged the assembly complex at about 9pm on Monday and successfully disarmed the security operatives attached to the building.

The state assembly complex is located adjacent the Headquarters of the State Command Police, on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.

It was gathered that some lawmakers ,( whose motives were yet to be made public) had embarked on attempt to impeach Governor Fubara and the house speaker, Ehie as they resumed sitting following some undisclosed issues.

Following the ugly incident, more than 17 security trucks and four Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) with over 50 federal security personnel were deployed at the scene, in order to effectively arrest the situation.

Unconfirmed report in the state attributed the current state of affairs to an alleged misunderstanding between the new governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the FCT Minister, widely regarded as the political godfather of the incumbent governor.

Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the political crisis in Rivers State, even as the leadership of Ijaw Youth Movement,IYM, had sued for peace, calling for amicable resolution of the upheaval.

Similarly, a foremost leader of the Niger Delta and stateman, Chief Edwin Clark had reacted to the development, calling on President Bola Tinubu to rein in the FCT Minister over his alleged role in the impeachment saga.

Also, one of the leaders of the Niger Delta from Rivers State, HRH Sarah Igbe warned of the negative consequences of the political development in the state.

He called on the former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike to allow the incumbent concerntrate on governance, in order to deliver democratic devidednds to the people.

Chief Sarah Igbe alleged that governor Wike’s high handedness and interferences in the political decisions concerning the state led to the current situation.

The ensuing political development had also resulted in the ouster of the state assembly Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, who had earlier suspended the House Majority leader, hon. Edison Ehie, whom he accused of masterminding the Sunday night burning of the Assembly Complex.

But following the sitting on Monday by some members of the state Assembly, the table turned in favour of the suspended house majority leader, Edison Ehie, who was announced the new speaker by 26 Pro- Fubara lawmakers.

The crisis also led to the suspension of the state Chief Judge, Simeon Amadi, by the state governor. Although, political pundits had opined that under the circumstance, it was impossible for the state governor to have removed the Chief Judge.

Similarly, governor Fubara announced the suspension of the 23 local government chairmen.
But their suspension could not be ascertained immediately as one of them reportedly claimed that he was right in his office fielding questions from journalists about the development.

Latest development indicated that there had been gradual return of normalcy, especially in Port Harcourt the state capital.

And, as part of measures to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in the state, some leaders of thought and statement from the Niger Delta were said to have embarked on a journey to Abuja, where a meeting with the former governor Wike was been scheduled on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, governor Fubara had stated that he was yet to know what his offence was that warranted the plot to impeach him from office.