By Uche Amunike
The Rivers State House of Assembly has ignored the assent of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Monday and passed the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill into law.
This decision was made by the assembly which was led by its Speaker, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, during her 159th legislative sitting, which was held at the Assembly Quarters in Port Harcourt.
Amaewhule informed the House that Governor Fubara refused to sign an amendment to the Local Government Law. His words: ‘Members are already aware that we forwarded the amended bill to the governor for his assent on the 14th day of March and as it stands the government has chosen to withhold his assent by not getting back to us. So we are empowered by the constitution to make progress and where necessary override the governor’s assent’, he stated.
They voted upon the bill through a show of hands. A total of 22 members voted for the House to veto the governor, with none either against or abstaining.
Amaewhule further made this clarification: ‘By this voting, the Rivers state Local Government Amendment law of 2018 is hereby passed for the second time and the assent of the governor is no longer required in line with section 100 subsection 5 of the 1999 Constitution as altered. The clerk will forward this law to the governor, the attorney general, and the Chief Judge of the state so they can do the needful’.
In a statement signed and issued to newsmen, Monday in Port Harcourt, by the Media Aide to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, he posited that the House passed the Local Government Amendment Bill on March 13, 2024 and forwarded same to Governor Fubara for accent, which he declined.
The statement partly read: ‘Determined to perform its Constitutional duties, the Bill was represented by the Majority Leader, Hon. Major Jack and debated upon by Members.’
‘Thereafter, the House in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, which empowers the House to override the Governor, where he withholds his assent; the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule put the question, and with a two-thirds majority vote, the House agreed to override the Governor and passed the Bill into Law.’
The Rivers State House of Assembly, in another development, screened and confirmed nominees for the position of Chairman and Members of the Assembly Service Commission.
Sampson Worlu was confirmed as Chairman after a successful screening exercise, while Hon. Abinye Blessing Pepple, Mrs Blessing Belema Derefaka, Mr Gbaranen Robinson and Madam Dorcas Amos were confirmed as Members.
According to the statement, the House passed the River State Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) Bill into Law on March 22, 2024, wherein the House donated back power to itself, to appoint the Chairman and Members of the Assembly Service Commission.
The statement further read: ‘On a sad note, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Amaewhule, announced the demise of Mr Lucky Amadi, the husband of the honourable Member for Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon. Emilia Lucky Amadi, and stated that Members would pay a condolence visit to their colleague.’
Note that 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, believed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital territory, Nyesom Wike, have been having a running battle with the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who survived an impeachment attempt by pro-Wike lawmakers, after the hallowed chamber was bombed in November 2023.
