After Martin Amaewhule and twenty-four other members defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, has confirmed that their legislative seats are still unoccupied…CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
According to the Assembly, these vacancies should be filled through by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Daily Post reported that the controversy began after the Amaewhule-led Assembly declared the seats of Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and three other pro-Fubara lawmakers vacant due to an absence from sittings for 152 days.
During a plenary, Amaewhule claimed that Ehie had not properly informed the House of his new position, which contributed to the declaration of his seat as vacant.
He also noted that Oko-Jumbo and others violated the 1999 Constitution by being absent for 152 consecutive days without notification.
Reacting to this, Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo said the 25 seats were declared vacant as far back as December 13, 2023, by then-Speaker Edison Ehie.
He criticized INEC for not conducting the necessary by-elections, stating that the delay allowed “Amaewhule and his committee of friends” to cause distractions.
“Please recall that on the 11th day of December, 2023, Martin Chike Amaewhule and 24 others defected from the Peoples Democratic Party that sponsored their election… to the All Progressives Congress,” Oko-Jumbo said.
He added that the defection was widely reported and even acknowledged in a legal affidavit. Oko-Jumbo further accused Amaewhule’s group of overstepping their bounds by trying to declare his seat vacant.
“They have no such powers. This is an exercise in futility. It is a joke taken too far,” he stated, urging INEC to act swiftly to organize by-elections.
The Assembly had previously suspended Ehie, Oko-Jumbo, and others following disturbances that began with an explosion at the Assembly complex on October 29, 2023. However, it remains unclear if the suspensions were lifted before the latest declarations.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
