…Urges INEC to conduct Bye Elections to fill vacated seats.
…Ask the public to disregard order of former lawmakers
….Awaits MTEF from Gov. Fubara
The Rivers State House of Assembly has dismissed a recent resolution made by Martin Amaewhule and his 24 co-travellers, which declared a shutdown on government expenditure, until an Appropriation Bill for the 2024 fiscal year is presented and passed by them as illegal, stating that they have no constitutional rights to make laws for Rivers State having vacated their seats following their defection to the All Progressive Congress in December 2023.
The resolution by Amaewhule and 24 others, according to the Speaker, “furthermore directed the Governor to desist from further authorization of withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State and to direct all Rivers State Government Ministries, Commissions, Agencies, Departments and Extra-Ministerial Departments to desist from spending taxpayers funds until the 2024 Appropriation Bill is laid before the former members parading themselves, albeit unashamedly, as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly”
Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Rt Hon Victor Oko Jumbo who read the statement at Tuesday plenary during the sitting of the Assembly and urged the public to discountenance the resolution by Martin Amaewhule and 24 others to the effect that the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, is not permitted to authorize the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state.
He pointed out that by their defection and declaration of their seats as vacant by the Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie as then authentic speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Amaewhule and 24 others have no legal capacity or moral basis to pass any valid resolution or enact any legislation for the state.
The Speaker disclosed that, “On the 1st Day of December, 2023, at the 87″ Legislative sitting of the House, former Speaker, Martin Amaewhule and the 24 former members defected from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
“By virtue of section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution which are self executing, and consequent upon their defection, on the 13 Day of December, 2023, Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie, as the then duly recognised Speaker of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, by virtue of a court order granted by Hon Justice Danagogo on the 12th Day of December, 2023 in Suit No. PHC/3030/CS/2023, and pursuant to section 109(2) of the 1999 Constitution, declared their seats vacant.”
Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo noted that as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly recognized by law, and the Rivers State Government to carry out statutory obligation for the Assembly, urged the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to expedite preparations towards the conduct of a bye-election to fill the vacant seats created in the Rivers State House of Assembly by the defection of Martin Amaewhule and 24 others.
“Consequent to the above Constitutional provisions and the declaration of their seats vacant, the recognised 10th Rivers State House of Assembly is the one led by Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo. Thus, the Rivers State Government has ceased paying any form of salaries, allowances or statutory remunerations to the former members.”
The Speaker faulted Martin Amaewhule and the 24 ex-lawmakers’ attempt to legitimize their actions based on section 122 of the 1999 Constitution, noting that the section empowers a State Governor to continue to make appropriations for 6 months, from the budget of the previous fiscal year, where for any reason he is unable to present an appropriation Bill to the House.
He reminded the defected members that Gov Fubara, presented the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State
House of Assembly, under the leadership of the then Speaker Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, and it was duly passed on the 13 Day of December, 2023 and assented to on the 14th Day of December, 2023.
The Speaker said the House is awaiting to receive from Gov. Fubara , the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the next 3 financial years, pursuant to section 10 of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law, No 8 of 2010, in order to prepare for the 2025 fiscal year.
Meanwhile a bill for the establishment of Vocational and Technical Institute sponsored by the Hon. Adolphus Timothy and Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo passed the first reading while a motion for the prohibition of open defecation in the state was unanimously approved by the house.
